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Yandulskaya AS, Monaghan JR. Establishing a New Research Axolotl Colony. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2562:27-39. [PMID: 36272066 PMCID: PMC10948202 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2659-7_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The field of regenerative biology has taken a keen interest in the Mexican axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) over the past few decades, as this salamander successfully regenerates amputated limbs and injured body parts. Recent progress in research tool development has also made possible axolotl genetic manipulation and single-cell analysis, which will help understand the molecular mechanisms of complex tissue regeneration. To support the growing popularity of this model, we describe how to set up a new axolotl housing facility at a research laboratory. We also review husbandry practices for raising axolotls and using them in biological research, with a focus on diet, water quality, breeding, and anesthesia.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - James R Monaghan
- Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.
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Ibáñez A, Skupien-Rabian B, Jankowska U, Kędracka-Krok S, Zając B, Pabijan M. Functional Protein Composition in Femoral Glands of Sand Lizards ( Lacerta agilis). MOLECULES (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 27:molecules27072371. [PMID: 35408771 PMCID: PMC9000839 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27072371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Revised: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Proteins are ubiquitous macromolecules that display a vast repertoire of chemical and enzymatic functions, making them suitable candidates for chemosignals, used in intraspecific communication. Proteins are present in the skin gland secretions of vertebrates but their identity, and especially, their functions, remain largely unknown. Many lizard species possess femoral glands, i.e., epidermal organs primarily involved in the production and secretion of chemosignals, playing a pivotal role in mate choice and intrasexual communication. The lipophilic fraction of femoral glands has been well studied in lizards. In contrast, proteins have been the focus of only a handful of investigations. Here, we identify and describe inter-individual expression patterns and the functionality of proteins present in femoral glands of male sand lizards (Lacerta agilis) by applying mass spectrometry-based proteomics. Our results show that the total number of proteins varied substantially among individuals. None of the identified femoral gland proteins could be directly linked to chemical communication in lizards, although this result hinges on protein annotation in databases in which squamate semiochemicals are poorly represented. In contrast to our expectations, the proteins consistently expressed across individuals were related to the immune system, antioxidant activity and lipid metabolism as their main functions, showing that proteins in reptilian epidermal glands may have other functions besides chemical communication. Interestingly, we found expression of the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) among the multiple and diverse biological processes enriched in FGs, tentatively supporting a previous hypothesis that MHC was coopted for semiochemical function in sand lizards, specifically in mate recognition. Our study shows that mass spectrometry-based proteomics are a powerful tool for characterizing and deciphering the role of proteins secreted by skin glands in non-model vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Ibáñez
- Department of Comparative Anatomy, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, 30-387 Kraków, Poland;
- Department of Ecology and Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Łódź, 90-237 Łódź, Poland
- Correspondence:
| | - Bozena Skupien-Rabian
- Proteomics and Mass Spectrometry Core Facility, Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, 30-387 Kraków, Poland; (B.S.-R.); (U.J.)
| | - Urszula Jankowska
- Proteomics and Mass Spectrometry Core Facility, Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, 30-387 Kraków, Poland; (B.S.-R.); (U.J.)
| | - Sylwia Kędracka-Krok
- Department of Physical Biochemistry, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, 30-387 Kraków, Poland;
| | - Bartłomiej Zając
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, 30-387 Kraków, Poland;
| | - Maciej Pabijan
- Department of Comparative Anatomy, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, 30-387 Kraków, Poland;
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3
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Wilburn DB, Kunkel CL, Feldhoff RC, Feldhoff PW, Searle BC. Recurrent Co-Option and Recombination of Cytokine and Three Finger Proteins in Multiple Reproductive Tissues Throughout Salamander Evolution. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:828947. [PMID: 35281090 PMCID: PMC8904931 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.828947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Reproductive proteins evolve at unparalleled rates, resulting in tremendous diversity of both molecular composition and biochemical function between gametes of different taxonomic clades. To date, the proteomic composition of amphibian gametes is largely a molecular mystery, particularly for Urodeles (salamanders and newts) for which few genomic-scale resources exist. In this study, we provide the first detailed molecular characterization of gametes from two salamander species (Plethodon shermani and Desmognathus ocoee) that are models of reproductive behavior. Long-read PacBio transcriptome sequencing of testis and ovary of both species revealed sex-specific expression of many genes common to vertebrate gametes, including a similar expression profile to the egg coat genes of Xenopus oocytes. In contrast to broad conservation of oocyte genes, major testis transcripts included paralogs of salamander-specific courtship pheromones (PRF, PMF, and SPF) that were confirmed as major sperm proteins by mass spectrometry proteomics. Sperm-specific paralogs of PMF and SPF are likely the most abundant secreted proteins in P. shermani and D. ocoee, respectively. In contrast, sperm PRF lacks a signal peptide and may be expressed in cytoplasm. PRF pheromone genes evolved independently multiple times by repeated gene duplication of sperm PRF genes with signal peptides recovered through recombination with PMF genes. Phylogenetic analysis of courtship pheromones and their sperm paralogs support that each protein family evolved for these two reproductive contexts at distinct evolutionary time points between 17 and 360 million years ago. Our combined phylogenetic, transcriptomic and proteomic analyses of plethodontid reproductive tissues support that the recurrent co-option and recombination of TFPs and cytokine-like proteins have been a novel driving force throughout salamander evolution and reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damien B. Wilburn
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
- *Correspondence: Damien B. Wilburn,
| | - Christy L. Kunkel
- Department of Biology, John Carroll University, Cleveland Heights, OH, United States
| | - Richard C. Feldhoff
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States
| | - Pamela W. Feldhoff
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States
| | - Brian C. Searle
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
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Schulte LM, Martel A, Cruz-Elizalde R, Ramírez-Bautista A, Bossuyt F. Love bites: male frogs (Plectrohyla, Hylidae) use teeth scratching to deliver sodefrin precursor-like factors to females during amplexus. Front Zool 2021; 18:59. [PMID: 34823558 PMCID: PMC8613984 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-021-00445-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Efficient transfer of chemical signals is important for successful mating in many animal species. Multiple evolutionary lineages of animals evolved direct sex pheromone transmission during traumatic mating-the wounding of the partner with specialized devices-which helps to avoid signal loss to the environment. Although such direct transmission modes of so-called allohormone pheromones are well-documented in invertebrates, they are considered rare in vertebrates. Males of several species of the frog genus Plectrohyla (Hylidae, Anura) have elongated teeth and develop swollen lips during the breeding season. Here we investigated the possibility that these structures are used to scratch the females' skin and apply allohormone pheromones during traumatic mating in several Plectrohyla species. RESULTS Our behavioural observations revealed that males press their upper jaw onto the females' dorsum during amplexus, leaving small skin scratches with their teeth. Histological examinations of the males' lips identified specialized mucus glands, resembling known amphibian pheromone glands. Whole-transcriptome sequencing of these breeding glands showed high expression of sodefrin precursor-like factor (SPF) proteins, which are known to have a pheromone function in multiple amphibian species. CONCLUSIONS Our study suggests SPF delivery via traumatic mating in several anuran species: the males have specialized breeding glands in the lips for production and secretion and use their elongated teeth as wounding devices for application. We hypothesize that these SPF proteins end up in the females' circulatory system, where understanding their exact function will require further molecular, physiological and behavioural testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa M Schulte
- Department of Wildlife-/Zoo-Animal-Biology and Systematics, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 13, 60438, Frankfurt/Main, Germany.
| | - An Martel
- Wildlife Health, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Raciel Cruz-Elizalde
- Laboratorio de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Avenida de Las Ciencias S/N, Santa Fe Juriquilla, C. P. 76230, Querétaro, Mexico
| | - Aurelio Ramírez-Bautista
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Poblaciones, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Instituto de Ciencias Básicas E Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Km 4.5 carretera Pachuca-Tulancingo, 42184, Mineral de La Reforma, Hidalgo, Mexico
| | - Franky Bossuyt
- Amphibian Evolution Lab, Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
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Herrboldt MA, Steffen MA, McGouran CN, Bonett RM. Pheromone Gene Diversification and the Evolution of Courtship Glands in Plethodontid Salamanders. J Mol Evol 2021; 89:576-587. [PMID: 34392385 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-021-10026-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Proteinaceous pheromones that diversify through gene duplication can result in shifts in courtship cocktails that may serve as a mechanism for reproductive isolation. The molecular evolution of pheromones has been extensively studied in salamanders, but how these genes and associated novel courtship glands have codiversified has not been evaluated. In this study we used transcriptional analyses to examine the relationship between pheromone diversification and gland type in three divergent lineages of plethodontid salamanders. Our results revealed that plethodontid salamanders express up to eight divergent Sodefrin Precursor-like Factor genes (spf, representing both alpha and beta subfamilies) along with Plethodontid Modulating Factor (pmf) and Plethodontid Receptivity Factor (prf). Expression of pheromone genes is tissue specific with pmf, prf, and some spf genes restricted to the mental gland. In contrast, the caudal gland shows strong expression of the other spf genes. We found evidence for punctuated changes in pheromone cocktail composition related to the loss of metamorphosis, and subsequent extreme reduction of the mental gland, in a paedomorphic lineage. Our study provides insight into how pheromone diversification can be partitioned into unique glands, which may lead to cocktail specificity in behavioral modules during courtship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madison A Herrboldt
- Department of Biological Science, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, 74104, USA.
| | - Michael A Steffen
- Department of Biological Science, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, 74104, USA
| | - Carissa N McGouran
- Department of Biological Science, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, 74104, USA
| | - Ronald M Bonett
- Department of Biological Science, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, 74104, USA
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Woodley SK, Staub NL. Pheromonal communication in urodelan amphibians. Cell Tissue Res 2021; 383:327-345. [PMID: 33427952 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-020-03408-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Pheromonal communication is an ancient and pervasive sensory modality in urodelan amphibians. One family of salamander pheromones (the sodefrin precursor-like factor (SPF) family) originated 300 million years ago, at the origin of amphibians. Although salamanders are often thought of as relatively simple animals especially when compared to mammals, the pheromonal systems are varied and complex with nuanced effects on behavior. Here, we review the function and evolution of pheromonal signals involved in male-female reproductive interactions. After describing common themes of salamander pheromonal communication, we describe what is known about the rich diversity of pheromonal communication in each salamander family. Several pheromones have been described, ranging from simple, invariant molecules to complex, variable blends of pheromones. While some pheromones elicit overt behavioral responses, others have more nuanced effects. Pheromonal signals have diversified within salamander lineages and have experienced rapid evolution. Once receptors have been matched to pheromonal ligands, rapid advance can be made to better understand the olfactory detection and processing of salamander pheromones. In particular, a large number of salamander species deliver pheromones across the skin of females, perhaps reflecting a novel mode of pheromonal communication. At the end of our review, we list some of the many intriguing unanswered questions. We hope that this review will inspire a new generation of scientists to pursue work in this rewarding field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah K Woodley
- Department of Biological Sciences, Duquesne University, 600 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15282, USA.
| | - Nancy L Staub
- Biology Department, Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA, 99203, USA
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Gong Y, Zeng Y, Zheng P, Liao X, Xie F. Structural and bio-functional assessment of the postaxillary gland in Nidirana pleuraden (Amphibia: Anura: Ranidae). ZOOLOGICAL LETTERS 2020; 6:7. [PMID: 32518678 PMCID: PMC7275488 DOI: 10.1186/s40851-020-00160-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 05/21/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Owing to their incomplete adaptation to the terrestrial environment, amphibians possess complex cutaneous glandular systems. The skin glands not only regulate water loss and respiratory gas and salt exchange, but are also involved in defense against predators and microorganisms, social communication, and reproduction. These glands are distributed throughout the integument, but can accumulate in specific regions, forming visible outgrowths known as macroglands. Some macroglands are sexually dimorphic and mediate intersexual communication and reproductive success. The postaxillary gland is a sexually dimorphic macrogland in Nidirana pleuraden. Its biological function and its morphological and histochemical characteristics are unclear. In the present study, we describe the structure and ultrastructure of the postaxillary gland, and explore its main function. RESULTS The postaxillary gland has a thinner epidermis than the dorsal region of N. pleuraden. In addition to ordinary serous glands (OSG), type I and II mucous gland (I MG & II MG), a type of specialized mucous gland (SMG) is also found to constitute the postaxillary gland. The SMG is larger than other gland types, and consists of high columnar mucocytes with basal nuclei arranged radially toward a lumen. SMGs are positive to periodic acid-Schiff stain and stained blue in Masson's trichrome stain. A discontinuous myoepithelial sheath lacking innervation encircles SMG mucocytes, and the outlets of such glands are X- or Y-shaped. Transmission electron microscopy reveals abundant secretory granules in SMG, which are biphasic, composed of an electron-opaque outer ring and a less electron-dense core. Lipid droplets, and organelles, such as rough endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi stacks, are located in the supranuclear cytoplasm of the mucocytes in SMG. Female N. pleuraden exhibits chemotaxis toward homogenate of the postaxillary gland, but male does not. On treatment with trypsin, this sexual attraction disappears. CONCLUSIONS The postaxillary gland of N. pleuraden is a male-specific macrogland that consists primarily of SMGs, together with OSGs, I MGs and II MGs. Other than their extremely large size, SMGs structurally and histochemically resemble many reported specialized gland types in amphibian sexually dimorphic skin glands. Secretions of the postaxillary gland are proteinaceous sexual pheromones, which are believed to attract females at male calling intermissions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuzhou Gong
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization and Ecological Restoration Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 9 Section 4, Renmin Nan Road, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041 People’s Republic of China
- Universtiy of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing, 100049 People’s Republic of China
| | - Yiwei Zeng
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization and Ecological Restoration Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 9 Section 4, Renmin Nan Road, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041 People’s Republic of China
- Universtiy of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing, 100049 People’s Republic of China
| | - Puyang Zheng
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization and Ecological Restoration Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 9 Section 4, Renmin Nan Road, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041 People’s Republic of China
- Universtiy of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing, 100049 People’s Republic of China
| | - Xun Liao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization and Ecological Restoration Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 9 Section 4, Renmin Nan Road, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041 People’s Republic of China
| | - Feng Xie
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization and Ecological Restoration Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 9 Section 4, Renmin Nan Road, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041 People’s Republic of China
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Bossuyt F, Schulte LM, Maex M, Janssenswillen S, Novikova PY, Biju SD, Van de Peer Y, Matthijs S, Roelants K, Martel A, Van Bocxlaer I. Multiple Independent Recruitment of Sodefrin Precursor-Like Factors in Anuran Sexually Dimorphic Glands. Mol Biol Evol 2020; 36:1921-1930. [PMID: 31238339 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msz115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Chemical signaling in animals often plays a central role in eliciting a variety of responses during reproductive interactions between males and females. One of the best-known vertebrate courtship pheromone systems is sodefrin precursor-like factors (SPFs), a family of two-domain three-finger proteins with a female-receptivity enhancing function, currently only known from salamanders. The oldest divergence between active components in a single salamander species dates back to the Late Paleozoic, indicating that these proteins potentially gained a pheromone function earlier in amphibian evolution. Here, we combined whole transcriptome sequencing, proteomics, histology, and molecular phylogenetics in a comparative approach to investigate SPF occurrence in male breeding glands across the evolutionary tree of anurans (frogs and toads). Our study shows that multiple families of both terrestrially and aquatically reproducing frogs have substantially increased expression levels of SPFs in male breeding glands. This suggests that multiple anuran lineages make use of SPFs to complement acoustic and visual sexual signaling during courtship. Comparative analyses show that anurans independently recruited these proteins each time the gland location on the male's body allowed efficient transmission of the secretion to the female's nares.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franky Bossuyt
- Amphibian Evolution Lab, Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Lisa M Schulte
- Amphibian Evolution Lab, Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.,Department of Wildlife-/Zoo-Animal-Biology and Systematics, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - Margo Maex
- Amphibian Evolution Lab, Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Sunita Janssenswillen
- Amphibian Evolution Lab, Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Polina Yu Novikova
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - S D Biju
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Yves Van de Peer
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Severine Matthijs
- Amphibian Evolution Lab, Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Kim Roelants
- Amphibian Evolution Lab, Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - An Martel
- Wildlife Health Ghent, Department of Pathology, Bacteriology, and Avian Diseases, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Ines Van Bocxlaer
- Amphibian Evolution Lab, Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
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9
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Maex M, Treer D, De Greve H, Proost P, Van Bocxlaer I, Bossuyt F. Exaptation as a Mechanism for Functional Reinforcement of an Animal Pheromone System. Curr Biol 2018; 28:2955-2960.e5. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.06.074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2018] [Revised: 06/27/2018] [Accepted: 06/28/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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10
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Treer D, Maex M, Van Bocxlaer I, Proost P, Bossuyt F. Divergence of species-specific protein sex pheromone blends in two related, nonhybridizing newts (Salamandridae). Mol Ecol 2017; 27:508-519. [PMID: 29087032 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2017] [Revised: 08/17/2017] [Accepted: 08/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
In animals that use chemical communication during courtship and reproduction, speciation is often associated with divergence of their sex pheromones. In multicomponent pheromone systems, divergence can be obtained either by adding or deleting components, or by altering the relative contribution of individual components to the mixture. Protein pheromone systems can additionally evolve by amino acid sequence divergence to produce pheromones with a species-specific effect. The sodefrin precursor-like factor (SPF) pheromone system, a blend of proteins that essentially enhances receptivity in salamanders, has had a long and dynamic evolution of gene duplications, but the mechanisms that govern interspecific divergence and the role they play in reproductive isolation remain elusive. Here, we use transcriptomics and proteomics to characterize the SPF protein repertoire of the alpine newt (Ichthyosaura alpestris), and compare it to the previously identified repertoire of SPF proteins of the palmate newt (Lissotriton helveticus), a related but nonhybridizing species. Subsequent phylogenetic analyses indicate that, despite the availability of multiple SPF gene copies, both species predominantly express the same subset of orthologs. Our study demonstrates that species specificity in the SPF protein pheromone system can be established by gradual sequence divergence of the same set of proteins alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dag Treer
- Amphibian Evolution Lab, Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Margo Maex
- Amphibian Evolution Lab, Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Ines Van Bocxlaer
- Amphibian Evolution Lab, Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Paul Proost
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rega Institute, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (K.U. Leuven), Leuven, Belgium
| | - Franky Bossuyt
- Amphibian Evolution Lab, Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium
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11
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Wilburn DB, Arnold SJ, Houck LD, Feldhoff PW, Feldhoff RC. Gene Duplication, Co-option, Structural Evolution, and Phenotypic Tango in the Courtship Pheromones of Plethodontid Salamanders. HERPETOLOGICA 2017. [DOI: 10.1655/herpetologica-d-16-00082.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Damien B. Wilburn
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Stevan J. Arnold
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Lynne D. Houck
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Pamela W. Feldhoff
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, USA
| | - Richard C. Feldhoff
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, USA
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12
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Imorin: a sexual attractiveness pheromone in female red-bellied newts (Cynops pyrrhogaster). Sci Rep 2017; 7:41334. [PMID: 28120945 PMCID: PMC5264602 DOI: 10.1038/srep41334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2016] [Accepted: 12/16/2016] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The male red-bellied newt (Cynops pyrrhogaster) approaches the female’s cloaca prior to performing any courtship behaviour, as if he is using some released substance to gauge whether she is sexually receptive. Therefore, we investigated whether such a female sexual attractiveness pheromone exists. We found that a tripeptide with amino acid sequence Ala-Glu-Phe is secreted by the ciliary cells in the epithelium of the proximal portion of the oviduct of sexually developed newts and confirmed that this is the major active substance in water in which sexually developed female newts have been kept. This substance only attracted sexually developed male newts and acted by stimulating the vomeronasal epithelial cells. This is the first female sexual attractiveness peptide pheromone to be identified in a vertebrate.
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