A reduced-sucrose diet increases the sensitivity of Drosophila melanogaster to radiation

Drosophila melanogaster has been increasingly used as an experimental model to understand the health effects of environmental stresses such as radiation exposure and the nutrients depletion. Few studies have examined the physiological changes of radiation exposure combined with other condition such as nutrient depletion. To understand the effects of radiation exposure in the context of poor diet, this study investigated the effects of a sucrose-deficient diet on the development and life span of Drosophila after radiation exposure. On a low-sucrose diet (0.1 M), the life span of Drosophila increased strongly after 0.05 Gy radiation exposure, compared to nonirradiated flies, whereas life span was decreased after 1 Gy. These phenomena were more pronounced in female flies than in males. Collectively, these data indicate that a low-sucrose diet can increase sensitivity to perturbations in life span caused by radiation exposure.