Lifespan extension by dietary restriction is not linked to protection against somatic DNA damage in Drosophila melanogaster.

Dietary restriction (DR) has been shown to robustly extend lifespan in multiple species tested so far. The pro-longevity effect of DR is often ascribed to an increase in cellular defense against somatic damage, most notably damage by reactive oxygen species (ROS), considered a major cause of aging. Especially irreversible damage to DNA, the carrier of genetic information, is considered a critical causal factor in aging.

Quantitative microplate-based respirometry with correction for oxygen diffusion.

Respirometry using modified cell culture microplates offers an increase in throughput and a decrease in biological material required for each assay. Plate based respirometers are susceptible to a range of diffusion phenomena; as O(2) is consumed by the specimen, atmospheric O(2) leaks into the measurement volume. Oxygen also dissolves in and diffuses passively through the polystyrene commonly used as a microplate material.

The Cryptococcus neoformans STE12alpha gene: a putative Saccharomyces cerevisiae STE12 homologue that is mating type specific.

Cryptococcus neoformans possesses two mating types, MATalpha and MATa. Alpha-Cells are more virulent than a-cells and are also, unlike a-cells, capable of producing extensive hyphae in the haploid phase. The molecular analysis of hyphae production in C.

Dimorphism and haploid fruiting in Cryptococcus neoformans: association with the alpha-mating type.

Cryptococcus neoformans is a major opportunistic fungal pathogen in AIDS and other immunosuppressed patients. We have shown that wild-type haploid C. neoformans can develop an extensive hyphal phase under appropriate conditions.