Neurogenetics Branch, MSC1250, 103B12, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892 USA.
Division of Biology 156-29, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 USA.
We report that feeding Drosophila throughout adulthood with 4- phenylbutyrate (PBA) can significantly increase lifespan, without diminution of locomotor vigor, resistance to stress, or reproductive ability. Treatment for a limited period, either early or late in adult life, is also effective. Flies fed PBA show a global increase in histone acetylation as well as a dramatically altered pattern of gene expression, including induction or repression of numerous genes. The delay in aging may result from the altered physiological state.