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Updated: May 12, 2026

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Assessing Neurodegenerative Phenotypes in Drosophila Dopaminergic Neurons by Climbing Assays and Whole Brain Immunostaining
Published on: April 24, 2013
Activation of transposable elements during aging and neuronal decline in Drosophila
Wanhe Li1, Lisa Prazak, Nabanita Chatterjee
1Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, USA.
Nature Neuroscience
|April 9, 2013
Abstract:
We found that several transposable elements were highly active in Drosophila brain during normal aging. In addition, we found that mutations in Drosophila Argonaute 2 (Ago2) resulted in exacerbated transposon expression in the brain, progressive and age-dependent memory impairment, and shortened lifespan. These findings suggest that transposon activation may contribute to age-dependent loss of neuronal function.

