An evolutionarily conserved metallophosphodiesterase is a determinant of lifespan in Drosophila

Evolutionarily conserved genes usually have a critical role to play during organismal aging and longevity. Here, we show that a previously uncharacterized Class III metallophosphoesterase in Drosophila, an ortholog of the MPPED1 and MPPED2 proteins in mammals, is necessary for optimal lifespan. dMPPED is the product of the gene CG16717 and hydrolyzed a variety of phosphodiester substrates in a metal-dependent manner. dMPPED was expressed widely during development and in the adult fly. Deletion of the gene in flies dramatically reduced lifespan, without affecting development or fecundity. Longevity was restored on ubiquitous expression of the protein, and neuronal expression of both wild type and the catalytically inactive form of dMPPED was also able to restore normal lifespan. Overexpression of the protein, both ubiquitously and neuronally in wild type flies extended lifespan by ~ 20%. RNA-seq analysis of dMPPEDKO flies revealed mis-regulation of innate immune pathways, a number of transcription factors and genes earlier reported to affect aging and lifespan. Importantly, neuronal expression of mammalian MPPED2 was able to rescue lifespan in dMPPEDKO flies, but not extend lifespan in wild type flies. This reports the first description of the biological role of an evolutionarily conserved metallophosphoesterase that may serve as a scaffolding protein in diverse signaling pathways to modulate longevity in the fly.