Abstract
Frataxin is a highly conserved mitochondrial protein that plays a key role in iron homeostasis and metabolism, and its deficiency leads to oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and neurodegeneration. Hypomagnetic fields (HMF) can lead to various biological effects including increased oxidative stress, neurological and developmental disorders; yet, their effects acting as environmental stressors that exacerbate the inherent metabolic vulnerabilities in frataxin-deficient Drosophila melanogaster flies are still unknown. In this study, the bio-effects of HMF on growth, development, reproduction, and temperature stress resistance of frataxin-silenced flies were investigated. The results showed that HMF extended egg-to-adult and pupa developmental durations of both the control line of repo-GAL4; tub-GAL80^ts>GFP-RNAi (GFP-RNAi) and frataxin-deficient line of repo-GAL4; tub-GAL80^ts>fh RNAi (fh-RNAi) compared to those reared under a geomagnetic field (GMF). Compared with GMF, HMF significantly increased offspring fecundity in fh-RNAi flies, whereas the change in GFP-RNAi controls was not significant, while showing no significant effects on the adult weight of fh-RNAi flies. The impact of HMF on temperature stress resistance was particularly specific: it enhanced recovery from chill coma in control (GFP-RNAi) flies, while it accelerated recovery from heat shock in frataxin-silenced (fh-RNAi) flies. The mechanisms through which HMF modulate frataxin-associated phenotypes at a fundamental physical level warrant further investigation.
