Because the fruit fly has genes such as Indy that produce proteins very much like human proteins, it makes an excellent animal model for aging research. As mammals, they are more closely related to us than yeast, worms or fruit flies, and their relatively short life span makes them easier to study than longer-lived mammals. Some of the laboratory mice that are frequently studied are the Ames dwarf mouse, the growth hormone transgenic mouse and the SOD2 mutant mouse. The latter strain seems to be particularly susceptible to damage from oxidative stress. Toxic byproducts of energy production harm the DNA of the mitochondria of those mice.
Mitochondria are tiny powerhouses within cells intimately involved in energy production.
The discovery that fruit flies and roundworms carry genes that impact their longevity is exciting, particularly because many of those genes have human counterparts. But our DNA is virtually indistinguishable from that of nonhuman primates such as monkeys and apes. The National Institute on Aging is sponsoring an extensive series of experiments into aging and longevity using primate models including rhesus and squirrel monkeys. Primate studies are ongoing in neurobiology, skeletal changes, reproductive aging and other age-related diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. Results from studies of caloric restriction and its impact on aging in primates are starting to be available.