jouvence, a new small nucleolar RNA required in the gut extends lifespan in Drosophila

Longevity is influenced by various genetic and environmental factors, but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we functionally characterise a new Drosophila small nucleolar RNA (snoRNA), named jouvence whose loss of function dramatically reduces lifespan. A transgene containing the genomic region of jouvence rescues the longevity in mutant, while its overexpression in wild-type flies increases lifespan. Jouvence is expressed in epithelial cells of the gut. Targeted expression of jouvence specifically in the enterocytes increases lifespan, indicating that its role in the control of longevity takes place in these cells. A transcriptomic analysis performed from the gut reveals that several genes are either up-or down-regulated in mutant indicating that the snoRNA-jouvence might be involved in transcriptional control. Finally, since snoRNAs are structurally and functionally well conserved throughout evolution, we identified putative jouvence orthologue in mammals including humans, suggesting that its function in longevity might be conserved through evolution.