Affiliations

Assistant Professor, Integrative Biology and Physiology

Member, Cell & Developmental Biology GPB Home Area, Genetics & Genomics GPB Home Area, Molecular, Cellular & Integrative Physiology GPB Home Area, themes

Aging is a great scientific mystery. Despite considerable biochemical, physiological and comparative studies the mechanisms that cause the deterioration of cellular functions during the aging process remain poorly understood. Mitochondria have long been proposed to play an important role in aging. We are using the powerful genetics of the fruit fly Drosophila to investigate the role of mitochondrial energy metabolism in modulating the aging process. The long-term aim of these studies is to provide therapeutic targets to prevent or delay the onset of age-related diseases.

Bahadorani S, Cho J, Lo Jr T, Contreras H, Lawal HO, Krantz DE, Bradley TJ, Walker DW. Neuronal expression of a single-subunit yeast NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase (Ndi1) extends Drosophila lifespan. Aging Cell ; EPub before publication: . Muffat, J and Walker D.W. Apolipoprotein D; An overview of its role in aging and age-related disease. Cell Cycle 2010; 9: 60-65. Bahadorani S, Hur JH, Lo T, Vu K, Walker DW. Perturbation of mitochondrial complex V alters the response to dietary restriction in Drosophila. Aging Cell 2010; 9: 100-103. Copeland J.M. , Cho, J., Lo, T., Hur, J.H., Bahadorani, S., Arabyan, T., Rabie, T., Soh, J. and Walker, D.W. Extension of Drosophila life span by RNAi of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. Current Biology 2009; 19: 1591-1598. Muffat J, Walker DW, Benzer S. Human ApoD, an apolipoprotein up-regulated in neurodegenerative diseases, extends lifespan and increases stress resistance in Drosophila. PNAS 2008; 105: 7088-7093. Walker, D.W., Hajek, P, Knoepfle, D, Muffat, J, Attardi, G and Benzer, S Hypersensitivity to oxygen and shortened lifespan in a Drosophila mitochondrial complex II mutant. . PNAS 2006; 103: 16382-16387. Walker, D.W., Muffat, J., Rundel, C. and Benzer, S Overexpression of a Drosophila homolog of Apolipoprotein D leads to increased stress resistance and extended lifespan. Current Biology 2006; 16: 674-679. Walker, D.W. and Benzer, S. Mitochondrial "swirls" induced by oxygen stress and in the Drosophila mutant hyperswirl. PNAS 2004; 101: 10290-10295. Walker D.W., McColl G., Jenkins N. L., Harris J. and Lithgow G. J. Evolution of lifespan in C. elegans. . Nature 2000; 405: 296-297.