Losing a transport protein impairs cell recycling in flies

Reducing hermes in developing glands increased reactive oxygen species, chemically reactive oxygen-containing molecules, and inhibited autophagy, the breakdown and recycling of cell material. This inhibition depended on pyruvate entering mitochondria, the cell’s energy-producing structures, and being processed through the Krebs cycle, a series of energy-releasing reactions. Boosting catalase, an enzyme that breaks down hydrogen peroxide, reduced reactive oxygen species and restored cell recycling in these glands. Adult flies lacking hermes lived shorter lives than controls and had impaired intestinal autophagy. Reducing hermes specifically in gut cells also shortened lifespan.