FLEX: Flight Exercise Training Protocol for the Fruit Fly Drosophila.

Area of Science:

• * Model organism research
• * Physiology and behavior
• * Metabolic disorder research

Background:

• * Drosophila melanogaster is a valuable model for studying obesity and metabolic disorders.
• * Existing exercise models (Power Tower, Treadwheel) induce unnatural climbing, risking injury and mortality.
• * A more natural and physiological exercise protocol is needed for Drosophila research.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To develop and validate a novel flight-based exercise protocol for Drosophila.
• * To assess the impact of this flight exercise on fly bioenergetic capacity and response to a Western diet (WD).
• * To provide a scalable and injury-free method for studying exercise physiology in flies.

Main Methods:

• * Development of a flight exercise protocol utilizing Drosophila's natural flight behavior.
• * A 5-day flight exercise regimen was implemented.
• * Assessment of bioenergetic capacity, climbing behavior, and mortality rates in flies subjected to the protocol and fed a Western diet.

Main Results:

• * The 5-day flight exercise regimen significantly increased Drosophila's bioenergetic capacity.
• * Flight exercise counteracted adverse effects of a Western diet, improving climbing behavior.
• * The protocol reduced Western diet-associated mortality in the flies.

Conclusions:

• * The novel flight exercise protocol offers a natural, physiological, and injury-free approach for Drosophila.
• * This method enhances fly health and resilience against detrimental diets.
• * The protocol is suitable for large-scale studies on exercise interactions with diet, drugs, aging, and genetics.