Muscle-specific Atg2 and high-fat diet may affect age-related muscle decline in fruit flies through the fat breakdown and energy regulation pathway

Overexpression of the muscle Atg2 gene in drosophila prevented age-related muscle degeneration induced by a high-fat diet.

• A high-fat diet significantly reduced climbing endurance and speed in elderly drosophila.
• Knocking down muscle Atg2 worsened age-related muscle degeneration associated with a high-fat diet.
• Overexpression of Atg2 in muscles protected against age-related damage from a high-fat diet.
• The muscle Atg2 gene is linked to the regulation of the ATGL/Sirt1/PGC-1α pathway, which is involved in oxidative balance and lipid metabolism.
• High-fat diet exposure led to decreased expression of muscle Atg2, Atg8a, ATGL, Sirt1, and PGC-1α, along with increased levels of MDA and TG.

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