Abstract 1414 The Role of the Circadian Rhythm in the Development of Retinal Degeneration in Aging Drosophila melanogaster Photoreceptors

Age-related eye diseases that can cause blindness are becoming increasingly common with the shifting population, making it extremely important to study the aging eye. Drosophila melanogaster photoreceptors are known to degenerate with age, similar to human eyes. The circadian rhythm becomes dysregulated during age in both Drosophila and humans, which can contribute to developing eye disease. In order to identify the role of the circadian clock in photoreceptor health during aging, we aged several lines of Drosophila with core clock gene mutations to various ages and compared them to wild-type Drosophila.