Something’s off.A report describes fruit flies that lived longer after receiving less protein during part of their larval stage, even though they returned to standard food as adults. The reported trade-off was that the longer-lived flies were smaller and lighter, and females laid fewer eggs.
The researchers reportedly traced the effect to lower levels of larval serum protein 2 (Lsp2), a protein stored for metamorphosis. In their account, reduced Lsp2 persisted into adulthood, coinciding with fewer ribosomal proteins and slower protein production in young adults. The puzzling part is that a short-lived diet change before metamorphosis appeared to leave a molecular trace after the animal had completely changed form.
The report says some links in the proposed chain remain unresolved, including how Lsp2 relates to ribosomes. It also does not establish an equivalent mechanism in humans.
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