TitleAdult Drosophila muscle morphometry through microCT reveals dynamics during ageing.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2019
AuthorsChaturvedi D, Prabhakar S, Aggarwal A, Atreya KB, VijayRaghavan K
JournalOpen Biol
Volume9
Issue6
Pagination190087
Date Published2019 Jun 28
ISSN2046-2441
Abstract

Indirect flight muscles (IFMs) in adult Drosophila provide the key power stroke for wing beating. They also serve as a valuable model for studying muscle development. An age-dependent decline in Drosophila free flight has been documented, but its relation to gross muscle structure has not yet been explored satisfactorily. Such analyses are impeded by conventional histological preparations and imaging techniques that limit exact morphometry of flight muscles. In this study, we employ microCT scanning on a tissue preparation that retains muscle morphology under homeostatic conditions. Focusing on a subset of IFMs called the dorsal longitudinal muscles (DLMs), we find that DLM volumes increase with age, partially due to the increased separation between myofibrillar fascicles, in a sex-dependent manner. We have uncovered and quantified asymmetry in the size of these muscles on either side of the longitudinal midline. Measurements of this resolution and scale make substantive studies that test the connection between form and function possible. We also demonstrate the application of this method to other insect species making it a valuable tool for histological analysis of insect biodiversity.

DOI10.1098/rsob.190087
Alternate JournalOpen Biol
PubMed ID31238820
PubMed Central IDPMC6597753