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Zhang L, Ten Hagen KG. O-Glycosylation of a male seminal fluid protein influences sperm binding and female postmating behavior. PNAS NEXUS 2024; 3:pgae322. [PMID: 39189023 PMCID: PMC11346359 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 07/16/2024] [Indexed: 08/28/2024]
Abstract
Glycoproteins are abundant within the human reproductive system and alterations in glycosylation lead to reproductive disorders, suggesting that glycans play an important role in reproductive function. In this study, we used the Drosophila reproductive system as a model to investigate the biological functions of O-glycosylation. We found that O-glycosylation in the male accessory glands, an organ responsible for secreting seminal fluid proteins, plays important roles in female postmating behavior. The loss of one O-glycosyltransferase, PGANT9, in the male reproductive system resulted in decreased egg production in mated females. We identified one substrate of PGANT9, lectin-46Ca (CG1656), which is known to affect female postmating responses. We further show that the loss of lectin-46Ca O-glycosylation affects its ability to associate with sperm tails, resulting in reduced transfer within the female reproductive system. Our results provide the first example that O-glycosylation of a seminal fluid protein affects its ability to associate with sperm in vivo. These studies may shed light on the biological function of O-glycans in mammalian reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liping Zhang
- Developmental Glycobiology Section, NIDCR, National Institutes of Health, 30 Convent Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892-4370, USA
| | - Kelly G Ten Hagen
- Developmental Glycobiology Section, NIDCR, National Institutes of Health, 30 Convent Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892-4370, USA
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2
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Brown NC, Gordon B, McDonough-Goldstein CE, Misra S, Findlay GD, Clark AG, Wolfner MF. The seminal odorant binding protein Obp56g is required for mating plug formation and male fertility in Drosophila melanogaster. eLife 2023; 12:e86409. [PMID: 38126735 PMCID: PMC10834028 DOI: 10.7554/elife.86409] [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] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
In Drosophila melanogaster and other insects, the seminal fluid proteins (SFPs) and male sex pheromones that enter the female with sperm during mating are essential for fertility and induce profound post-mating effects on female physiology. The SFPs in D. melanogaster and other taxa include several members of the large gene family known as odorant binding proteins (Obps). Work in Drosophila has shown that some Obp genes are highly expressed in the antennae and can mediate behavioral responses to odorants, potentially by binding and carrying these molecules to odorant receptors. These observations have led to the hypothesis that the seminal Obps might act as molecular carriers for pheromones or other compounds important for male fertility, though functional evidence in any species is lacking. Here, we used functional genetics to test the role of the seven seminal Obps in D. melanogaster fertility and the post-mating response (PMR). We found that Obp56g is required for male fertility and the induction of the PMR, whereas the other six genes are dispensable. We found males lacking Obp56g fail to form a mating plug in the mated female's reproductive tract, leading to ejaculate loss and reduced sperm storage, likely due to its expression in the male ejaculatory bulb. We also examined the evolutionary history of these seminal Obp genes, as several studies have documented rapid evolution and turnover of SFP genes across taxa. We found extensive lability in gene copy number and evidence of positive selection acting on two genes, Obp22a and Obp51a. Comparative RNAseq data from the male reproductive tract of multiple Drosophila species revealed that Obp56g shows high male reproductive tract expression in a subset of taxa, though conserved head expression across the phylogeny. Together, these functional and expression data suggest that Obp56g may have been co-opted for a reproductive function over evolutionary time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora C Brown
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell UniversityIthacaUnited States
| | - Benjamin Gordon
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell UniversityIthacaUnited States
| | | | - Snigdha Misra
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell UniversityIthacaUnited States
| | - Geoffrey D Findlay
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell UniversityIthacaUnited States
- Department of Biology, College of the Holy CrossWorcesterUnited States
| | - Andrew G Clark
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell UniversityIthacaUnited States
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3
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Cheng J, Zhu L, Zhu F, Zhao P, Li QX, Lu ZH, Zhang SD, Li Z, Liu XX. Peroxiredoxin 1 transfer during mating protects eupyrene sperm against oxdative stress in Grapholita molesta. PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2023. [PMID: 36929567 DOI: 10.1002/ps.7458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Revised: 03/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Each Grapholita molesta female only copulates once during its lifetime and thus must maintain the viability of stored eupyrene sperm for male reproductive success. The male ejaculate comprises abundant accessory gland proteins produced by the male accessory gland (AG), and many of which are major effectors for sperm storage and maintenance. RESULTS Here, we reported that an antioxidant protein, peroxiredoxin 1 (GmolPrx1), secreted by the male AG, is essential for protecting eupyrene sperm from oxidative stress and maintaining their quality during storage in the female bursa copulatrix (BC). Our data showed that GmolPrx1 is highly expressed in the AG of sexually mature males. The GmolPrx1 protein is localized to the cytoplasm of AG cells and delivered to the female BC during mating. Knockdown of GmolPrx1 strongly decreased the fertility of mated females. Additionally, we evaluated oxidative status in the spermatophore of females and found that the content of hydrogen peroxide increased significantly after mating with GmolPrx1 knockdown males. Finally, the quality assessment of eupyrene sperm demonstrated that the plasma membrane integrity, acrosome integrity, and DNA integrity were all severely impaired in the spermatophore of females after mating with GmolPrx1 knockdown males, which may contribute to the fertility decline in males. CONCLUSION Our current data demonstrated that activities of eupyrene sperm stored in females can be significantly impaired by enhanced oxidative stress through knocking down of GmolPrx1 in males. Our finding thus may further lay new foundations for the control of G. molesta through suppressing their populations by manipulating male reproductive genes. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Cheng
- Department of Entomology, MOA Key Laboratory of Pest Monitoring and Green Management, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Lin Zhu
- Department of Entomology, MOA Key Laboratory of Pest Monitoring and Green Management, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Fang Zhu
- Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Peng Zhao
- Department of Entomology, MOA Key Laboratory of Pest Monitoring and Green Management, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Qiong-Xi Li
- Department of Entomology, MOA Key Laboratory of Pest Monitoring and Green Management, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Zi-Hang Lu
- Department of Entomology, MOA Key Laboratory of Pest Monitoring and Green Management, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Song-Dou Zhang
- Department of Entomology, MOA Key Laboratory of Pest Monitoring and Green Management, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhen Li
- Department of Entomology, MOA Key Laboratory of Pest Monitoring and Green Management, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiao-Xia Liu
- Department of Entomology, MOA Key Laboratory of Pest Monitoring and Green Management, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
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4
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Brown NC, Gordon B, McDonough-Goldstein CE, Misra S, Findlay GD, Clark AG, Wolfner MF. The seminal odorant binding protein Obp56g is required for mating plug formation and male fertility in Drosophila melanogaster. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.03.526941. [PMID: 36798169 PMCID: PMC9934574 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.03.526941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/10/2023]
Abstract
In Drosophila melanogaster and other insects, the seminal fluid proteins (SFPs) and male sex pheromones that enter the female with sperm during mating are essential for fertility and induce profound post-mating effects on female physiology and behavior. The SFPs in D. melanogaster and other taxa include several members of the large gene family known as odorant binding proteins (Obps). Previous work in Drosophila has shown that some Obp genes are highly expressed in the antennae and can mediate behavioral responses to odorants, potentially by binding and carrying these molecules to odorant receptors. These observations have led to the hypothesis that the seminal Obps might act as molecular carriers for pheromones or other compounds important for male fertility in the ejaculate, though functional evidence in any species is lacking. Here, we used RNAi and CRISPR/Cas9 generated mutants to test the role of the seven seminal Obps in D. melanogaster fertility and the post-mating response (PMR). We found that Obp56g is required for male fertility and the induction of the PMR, whereas the other six genes had no effect on fertility when mutated individually. Obp56g is expressed in the male's ejaculatory bulb, an important tissue in the reproductive tract that synthesizes components of the mating plug. We found males lacking Obp56g fail to form a mating plug in the mated female's reproductive tract, leading to ejaculate loss and reduced sperm storage. We also examined the evolutionary history of these seminal Obp genes, as several studies have documented rapid evolution and turnover of SFP genes across taxa. We found extensive lability in gene copy number and evidence of positive selection acting on two genes, Obp22a and Obp51a. Comparative RNAseq data from the male reproductive tract of multiple Drosophila species revealed that Obp56g shows high male reproductive tract expression only in species of the melanogaster and obscura groups, though conserved head expression in all species tested. Together, these functional and expression data suggest that Obp56g may have been co-opted for a reproductive function over evolutionary time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora C. Brown
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Benjamin Gordon
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
- Present address: Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States
| | | | - Snigdha Misra
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
- Present address: University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun, UK, India
| | - Geoffrey D. Findlay
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
- Department of Biology, College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA, United States
| | - Andrew G. Clark
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Mariana F. Wolfner
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
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Wu LJ, Li F, Song Y, Zhang ZF, Fan YL, Liu TX. Proteome Analysis of Male Accessory Gland Secretions in the Diamondback Moth, Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae). INSECTS 2023; 14:132. [PMID: 36835702 PMCID: PMC9960318 DOI: 10.3390/insects14020132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2022] [Revised: 01/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
In insects, male accessory gland proteins (ACPs) are important reproductive proteins secreted by male accessory glands (MAGs) of the internal male reproductive system. During mating, ACPs are transferred along with sperms inside female bodies and have a significant impact on the post-mating physiology changes of the females. Under sexual selection pressures, the ACPs exhibit remarkably rapid and divergent evolution and vary from species to species. The diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), is a major insect pest of cruciferous vegetables worldwide. Mating has a profound impact on the females' behavior and physiology in this species. It is still unclear what the ACPs are in this species. In this study, two different proteomic methods were used to identify ACPs in P. xylostella. The proteins of MAGs were compared immediately before and after mating by using a tandem mass tags (TMT) quantitative proteomic analysis. The proteomes of copulatory bursas (CB) in mated females shortly after mating were also analyzed by the shotgun LC-MS/MS technique. In total, we identified 123 putative secreted ACPs. Comparing P. xylostella with other four insect ACPs, trypsins were the only ACPs detected in all insect species. We also identified some new insect ACPs, including proteins with chitin binding Peritrophin-A domain, PMP-22/ EMP/ MP20/ Claudin tight junction domain-containing protein, netrin-1, type II inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate 5-phosphatase, two spaetzles, allatostatin-CC, and cuticular protein. This is the first time that ACPs have been identified and analyzed in P. xylostella. Our results have provided an important list of putative secreted ACPs, and have set the stage for further exploration of the functions of these putative proteins in P. xylostella reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li-Juan Wu
- State Key Laboratory for Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Northwestern Loess Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs P. R. China, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China
| | - Fan Li
- State Key Laboratory for Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China
- Institute of Agricultural Sciences of Suqian, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Suqian 223800, China
| | - Yue Song
- State Key Laboratory for Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Northwestern Loess Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs P. R. China, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China
| | - Zhan-Feng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Northwestern Loess Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs P. R. China, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China
| | - Yong-Liang Fan
- State Key Laboratory for Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Northwestern Loess Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs P. R. China, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China
| | - Tong-Xian Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Northwestern Loess Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs P. R. China, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China
- Institute of Entomology, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
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6
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Li GY, Yang L, Xiao KR, Song QS, Stanley D, Wei SJ, Zhu JY. Characterization and expression profiling of serine protease inhibitors in the yellow mealworm Tenebrio molitor. ARCHIVES OF INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 111:e21948. [PMID: 35749627 DOI: 10.1002/arch.21948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2022] [Revised: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Serine protease inhibitors (SPIs) act in diverse biological processes in insects such as immunity, development, and digestion by preventing the unwanted proteolysis. So far, the repertoire of genes encoding SPIs has been identified from few insect species. In this study, 62 SPI genes were identified from the genome of the yellow mealworm, Tenebrio molitor. According to their modes of action, they were classified into three families, serpin (26), canonical SPI (31), and α-macroglobulins (A2M) (5). These SPIs feature eight domains including serpin, Kazal, TIL, Kunitz, WAP, Antistasin, pacifastin, and A2M. In total, 39 SPIs contain a single SPI domain, while the others encode at least two inhibitor units. Based on the amino acids in the cleaved reactive sites, the abilities of these SPIs to inhibit trypsin, chymotrypsin, or elastase-like enzymes are predicted. The expression profiling based on the RNA-seq data showed that these genes displayed stage-specific expression patterns during development, suggesting to us their significance in development. Some of the SPI genes were exclusively expressed in particular tissues such as hemocyte, fat body, gut, ovary, and testis, which may be involved in biological processes specific to the indicated tissues. These findings provide necessary information for further investigation of insect SPIs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guang-Ya Li
- Key Laboratory of Forest Disaster Warning and Control of Yunnan Province, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, China
| | - Lin Yang
- Key Laboratory of Forest Disaster Warning and Control of Yunnan Province, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, China
| | - Kai-Ran Xiao
- Key Laboratory of Forest Disaster Warning and Control of Yunnan Province, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, China
| | - Qi-Sheng Song
- Division of Plant Science and Technology, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA
| | - David Stanley
- USDA/ARS Biological Control of Insects Research Laboratory, Columbia, Missouri, USA
| | - Shu-Jun Wei
- Key Laboratory of Forest Disaster Warning and Control of Yunnan Province, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, China
- Institute of Plant Protection, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jia-Ying Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Forest Disaster Warning and Control of Yunnan Province, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, China
- Key Laboratory for Forest Resources Conservation and Utilization in the Southwest Mountains of China, Ministry of Education, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, China
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Huang Y, Shang R, Lu GA, Zeng W, Huang C, Zou C, Tang T. Spatiotemporal Regulation of a Single Adaptively Evolving Trans-Regulatory Element Contributes to Spermatogenetic Expression Divergence in Drosophila. Mol Biol Evol 2022; 39:6605656. [PMID: 35687719 PMCID: PMC9254010 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msac127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Due to extensive pleiotropy, trans-acting elements are often thought to be evolutionarily constrained. While the impact of trans-acting elements on gene expression evolution has been extensively studied, relatively little is understood about the contribution of a single trans regulator to interspecific expression and phenotypic divergence. Here, we disentangle the effects of genomic context and miR-983, an adaptively evolving young microRNA, on expression divergence between Drosophila melanogaster and D. simulans. We show miR-983 effects promote interspecific expression divergence in testis despite its antagonism with the often-predominant context effects. Single-cyst RNA-seq reveals that distinct sets of genes gain and lose miR-983 influence under disruptive or diversifying selection at different stages of spermatogenesis, potentially helping minimize antagonistic pleiotropy. At the round spermatid stage, the effects of miR-983 are weak and distributed, coincident with the transcriptome undergoing drastic expression changes. Knocking out miR-983 causes reduced sperm length with increased within-individual variation in D. melanogaster but not in D. simulans, and the D. melanogaster knockout also exhibits compromised sperm defense ability. Our results provide empirical evidence for the resolution of antagonistic pleiotropy and also have broad implications for the function and evolution of new trans regulators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yumei Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510275 Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Rui Shang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510275 Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Guang-An Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510275 Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Weishun Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510275 Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Chenglong Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510275 Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Chuangchao Zou
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510275 Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Tian Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510275 Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
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8
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Effects of Larval Diet on the Male Reproductive Traits in the West Indian Sweet Potato Weevils Euscepes postfasciatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). INSECTS 2022; 13:insects13040389. [PMID: 35447831 PMCID: PMC9031274 DOI: 10.3390/insects13040389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Simple Summary In insects, it is known that the diet during the larval stage affects traits in the adult stage. However, it is still unclear how it affects reproductive traits such as ejaculation. The ejaculate contains many proteins and therefore requires much nutrition, so the larval diet strongly influences it. Males of the West Indian sweet potato weevil Euscepes postfasciatus use accessory gland substances to inhibit remating by females. Crossing experiments were conducted using lines reared on artificial diets or sweet potato tubers during the larval stage, and the refractory period was examined. The results showed that the larval stage diet had a significant effect on the refractory period of females. We also found one protein of approximately 15 kDa in size expressed only in the treatments reared on sweet potatoes. To our knowledge, this is the first study to show that larval diet qualitatively influences male ejaculate and female refractory period. Abstract Larval diet significantly affects adult traits, although less is known about how they affect reproductive traits. Males of West Indian sweet potato weevil Euscepes postfasciatus deliver a remating inhibitor along with sperm to their mates during mating, leading to a refractory period (the period before females mate again). Crossing experiments were conducted using lines reared on artificial diets, including sweet potato powder (AD) or sweet potato tubers (SP) during the larval stage, and the refractory period was examined. We also examined whether the larval diet qualitatively or quantitatively altered male ejaculate. The results showed that the refractory period was significantly longer in the SP treatment than in the AD treatment for males and females. There was no significant difference in ejaculate volume. However, the number of sperm in the testes-seminal vesicles complex was significantly higher in the SP treatment. Additionally, SDS-PAGE revealed that the ejaculate was qualitatively different depending on the larval diet, and one protein of approximately 15 kDa in size was expressed only in the SP treatments. Revealing how larval diet affects reproductive traits in adult males will help shed light on the diverse evolution of insect mating systems and reproductive behavior.
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9
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Gregoriou ME, Reczko M, Kakani EG, Tsoumani KT, Mathiopoulos KD. Decoding the Reproductive System of the Olive Fruit Fly, Bactrocera oleae. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:355. [PMID: 33670896 PMCID: PMC7997189 DOI: 10.3390/genes12030355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Revised: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In most diploid organisms, mating is a prerequisite for reproduction and, thus, critical to the maintenance of their population and the perpetuation of the species. Besides the importance of understanding the fundamentals of reproduction, targeting the reproductive success of a pest insect is also a promising method for its control, as a possible manipulation of the reproductive system could affect its destructive activity. Here, we used an integrated approach for the elucidation of the reproductive system and mating procedures of the olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae. Initially, we performed a RNAseq analysis in reproductive tissues of virgin and mated insects. A comparison of the transcriptomes resulted in the identification of genes that are differentially expressed after mating. Functional annotation of the genes showed an alteration in the metabolic, catalytic, and cellular processes after mating. Moreover, a functional analysis through RNAi silencing of two differentially expressed genes, yellow-g and troponin C, resulted in a significantly reduced oviposition rate. This study provided a foundation for future investigations into the olive fruit fly's reproductive biology to the development of new exploitable tools for its control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria-Eleni Gregoriou
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Thessaly, 41500 Larissa, Greece; (M.-E.G.); (K.T.T.)
| | - Martin Reczko
- Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Science, Biomedical Sciences Research Centre “Alexander Fleming”, 16672 Vari, Greece;
| | - Evdoxia G. Kakani
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Building 1, Room 103, Boston, MA 02115, USA;
- Verily Life Sciences, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Konstantina T. Tsoumani
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Thessaly, 41500 Larissa, Greece; (M.-E.G.); (K.T.T.)
| | - Kostas D. Mathiopoulos
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Thessaly, 41500 Larissa, Greece; (M.-E.G.); (K.T.T.)
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10
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Wigby S, Brown NC, Allen SE, Misra S, Sitnik JL, Sepil I, Clark AG, Wolfner MF. The Drosophila seminal proteome and its role in postcopulatory sexual selection. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20200072. [PMID: 33070726 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Postcopulatory sexual selection (PCSS), comprised of sperm competition and cryptic female choice, has emerged as a widespread evolutionary force among polyandrous animals. There is abundant evidence that PCSS can shape the evolution of sperm. However, sperm are not the whole story: they are accompanied by seminal fluid substances that play many roles, including influencing PCSS. Foremost among seminal fluid models is Drosophila melanogaster, which displays ubiquitous polyandry, and exhibits intraspecific variation in a number of seminal fluid proteins (Sfps) that appear to modulate paternity share. Here, we first consolidate current information on the identities of D. melanogaster Sfps. Comparing between D. melanogaster and human seminal proteomes, we find evidence of similarities between many protein classes and individual proteins, including some D. melanogaster Sfp genes linked to PCSS, suggesting evolutionary conservation of broad-scale functions. We then review experimental evidence for the functions of D. melanogaster Sfps in PCSS and sexual conflict. We identify gaps in our current knowledge and areas for future research, including an enhanced identification of PCSS-related Sfps, their interactions with rival sperm and with females, the role of qualitative changes in Sfps and mechanisms of ejaculate tailoring. This article is part of the theme issue 'Fifty years of sperm competition'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart Wigby
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK.,Faculty Biology, Applied Zoology, Technische Universität Dresden, 01069 Dresden, Germany
| | - Nora C Brown
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Sarah E Allen
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Snigdha Misra
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Jessica L Sitnik
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Irem Sepil
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Andrew G Clark
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Mariana F Wolfner
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
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11
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Anholt RRH, O'Grady P, Wolfner MF, Harbison ST. Evolution of Reproductive Behavior. Genetics 2020; 214:49-73. [PMID: 31907301 PMCID: PMC6944409 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.119.302263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2019] [Accepted: 10/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Behaviors associated with reproduction are major contributors to the evolutionary success of organisms and are subject to many evolutionary forces, including natural and sexual selection, and sexual conflict. Successful reproduction involves a range of behaviors, from finding an appropriate mate, courting, and copulation, to the successful production and (in oviparous animals) deposition of eggs following mating. As a consequence, behaviors and genes associated with reproduction are often under strong selection and evolve rapidly. Courtship rituals in flies follow a multimodal pattern, mediated through visual, chemical, tactile, and auditory signals. Premating behaviors allow males and females to assess the species identity, reproductive state, and condition of their partners. Conflicts between the "interests" of individual males, and/or between the reproductive strategies of males and females, often drive the evolution of reproductive behaviors. For example, seminal proteins transmitted by males often show evidence of rapid evolution, mediated by positive selection. Postmating behaviors, including the selection of oviposition sites, are highly variable and Drosophila species span the spectrum from generalists to obligate specialists. Chemical recognition features prominently in adaptation to host plants for feeding and oviposition. Selection acting on variation in pre-, peri-, and postmating behaviors can lead to reproductive isolation and incipient speciation. Response to selection at the genetic level can include the expansion of gene families, such as those for detecting pheromonal cues for mating, or changes in the expression of genes leading to visual cues such as wing spots that are assessed during mating. Here, we consider the evolution of reproductive behavior in Drosophila at two distinct, yet complementary, scales. Some studies take a microevolutionary approach, identifying genes and networks involved in reproduction, and then dissecting the genetics underlying complex behaviors in D. melanogaster Other studies take a macroevolutionary approach, comparing reproductive behaviors across the genus Drosophila and how these might correlate with environmental cues. A full synthesis of this field will require unification across these levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert R H Anholt
- Center for Human Genetics, Clemson University, Greenwood, South Carolina 29646
- Department of Genetics and Biochemistry, Clemson University, Greenwood, South Carolina 29646
| | - Patrick O'Grady
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853
| | - Mariana F Wolfner
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853
| | - Susan T Harbison
- Laboratory of Systems Genetics, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
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12
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Weber M, Giannakara A, Ramm SA. Seminal fluid-mediated fitness effects in the simultaneously hermaphroditic flatworm Macrostomum lignano. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:13889-13901. [PMID: 31938489 PMCID: PMC6953679 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2019] [Revised: 10/17/2019] [Accepted: 10/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
As a class, seminal fluid proteins are expected to exert strong effects on mating partners due to the selection pressures of sperm competition and sexual conflict. But because of the complexity of this secretion, linking specific proteins to downstream effects on own fitness-via manipulating the reproductive behavior, physiology, and ultimately the sperm utilization of mating partners-is not straightforward. Here, we adopted a systematic gene knockdown approach to screen for seminal fluid-mediated fitness effects in the simultaneously hermaphroditic flatworm Macrostomum lignano. We focused on 18 transcripts in M. lignano seminal fluid, testing how their RNA interference-induced knockdown impacted on three aspects of donor (male) reproductive success: (a) fertility (offspring production of the partner); (b) defensive sperm competitive ability, P 1; and (c) offensive sperm competitive ability, P 2. In general, the knockdown of most individual transcripts appeared to have only a minor impact on male reproductive success, though we found evidence that the knockdown of up to five different transcripts impacted on fertility; the knockdown of two other transcripts resulted in reduced P 2; and knockdown of a further transcript actually increased P 2. We thus identify a number of candidate seminal fluid transcripts that appear to modulate offspring production and sperm competitiveness in M. lignano. That only a minority of transcripts exhibit such a pattern likely reflects both the difficulty of accurately estimating sperm competitiveness and the functional redundancy of seminal fluid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Weber
- Department of Evolutionary BiologyBielefeld UniversityBielefeldGermany
| | - Athina Giannakara
- Department of Evolutionary BiologyBielefeld UniversityBielefeldGermany
| | - Steven A. Ramm
- Department of Evolutionary BiologyBielefeld UniversityBielefeldGermany
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13
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Divergent allocation of sperm and the seminal proteome along a competition gradient in Drosophila melanogaster. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:17925-17933. [PMID: 31431535 PMCID: PMC6731677 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1906149116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Ejaculate quality plays an essential role in fertility, sperm competition, and offspring health. A key modulator of ejaculate quality is the social environment. Although males across taxa are known to strategically allocate sperm in response to rivals, how this applies to myriad other ejaculate components is poorly resolved. Here, we take a multilevel approach, from protein to fitness, to show that Drosophila melanogaster males divergently allocate sperm and seminal fluid proteins along a competition gradient. Using a combination of fluorescence-labeled sperm, quantitative proteomics, and multimating assays, we demonstrate that males are remarkably sensitive to the intensity of competition they perceive, show compositional change across and within portions of the ejaculate, and that this compositional change carries distinct costs and benefits. Sperm competition favors large, costly ejaculates, and theory predicts the evolution of allocation strategies that enable males to plastically tailor ejaculate expenditure to sperm competition threat. While greater sperm transfer in response to a perceived increase in the risk of sperm competition is well-supported, we have a poor understanding of whether males (i) respond to changes in perceived intensity of sperm competition, (ii) use the same allocation rules for sperm and seminal fluid, and (iii) experience changes in current and future reproductive performance as a result of ejaculate compositional changes. Combining quantitative proteomics with fluorescent sperm labeling, we show that Drosophila melanogaster males exercise independent control over the transfer of sperm and seminal fluid proteins (SFPs) under different levels of male–male competition. While sperm transfer peaks at low competition, consistent with some theoretical predictions based on sperm competition intensity, the abundance of transferred SFPs generally increases at high competition levels. However, we find that clusters of SFPs vary in the directionality and sensitivity of their response to competition, promoting compositional change in seminal fluid. By tracking the degree of decline in male mating probability and offspring production across successive matings, we provide evidence that ejaculate compositional change represents an adaptive response to current sperm competition, but one that comes at a cost to future mating performance. Our work reveals a previously unknown divergence in ejaculate component allocation rules, exposes downstream costs of elevated ejaculate investment, and ultimately suggests a central role for ejaculate compositional plasticity in sexual selection.
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14
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Karr TL, Southern H, Rosenow MA, Gossmann TI, Snook RR. The Old and the New: Discovery Proteomics Identifies Putative Novel Seminal Fluid Proteins in Drosophila. Mol Cell Proteomics 2019; 18:S23-S33. [PMID: 30760537 PMCID: PMC6427231 DOI: 10.1074/mcp.ra118.001098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2018] [Revised: 02/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Seminal fluid proteins (SFPs), the nonsperm component of male ejaculates produced by male accessory glands, are viewed as central mediators of reproductive fitness. SFPs effect both male and female post-mating functions and show molecular signatures of rapid adaptive evolution. Although Drosophila melanogaster, is the dominant insect model for understanding SFP evolution, understanding of SFP evolutionary causes and consequences require additional comparative analyses of close and distantly related taxa. Although SFP identification was historically challenging, advances in label-free quantitative proteomics expands the scope of studying other systems to further advance the field. Focused studies of SFPs has so far overlooked the proteomes of male reproductive glands and their inherent complex protein networks for which there is little information on the overall signals of molecular evolution. Here we applied label-free quantitative proteomics to identify the accessory gland proteome and secretome in Drosophila pseudoobscura,, a close relative of D. melanogaster,, and use the dataset to identify both known and putative novel SFPs. Using this approach, we identified 163 putative SFPs, 32% of which overlapped with previously identified D. melanogaster, SFPs and show that SFPs with known extracellular annotation evolve more rapidly than other proteins produced by or contained within the accessory gland. Our results will further the understanding of the evolution of SFPs and the underlying male accessory gland proteins that mediate reproductive fitness of the sexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy L Karr
- From the ‡Center for Mechanisms of Evolution, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona;.
| | - Helen Southern
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | | | - Toni I Gossmann
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Rhonda R Snook
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
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15
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Twort VG, Dennis AB, Park D, Lomas KF, Newcomb RD, Buckley TR. Positive selection and comparative molecular evolution of reproductive proteins from New Zealand tree weta (Orthoptera, Hemideina). PLoS One 2017; 12:e0188147. [PMID: 29131842 PMCID: PMC5683631 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0188147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2017] [Accepted: 11/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal reproductive proteins, especially those in the seminal fluid, have been shown to have higher levels of divergence than non-reproductive proteins and are often evolving adaptively. Seminal fluid proteins have been implicated in the formation of reproductive barriers between diverging lineages, and hence represent interesting candidates underlying speciation. RNA-seq was used to generate the first male reproductive transcriptome for the New Zealand tree weta species Hemideina thoracica and H. crassidens. We identified 865 putative reproductive associated proteins across both species, encompassing a diverse range of functional classes. Candidate gene sequencing of nine genes across three Hemideina, and two Deinacrida species suggests that H. thoracica has the highest levels of intraspecific genetic diversity. Non-monophyly was observed in the majority of sequenced genes indicating that either gene flow may be occurring between the species, or that reciprocal monophyly at these loci has yet to be attained. Evidence for positive selection was found for one lectin-related reproductive protein, with an overall omega of 7.65 and one site in particular being under strong positive selection. This candidate gene represents the first step in the identification of proteins underlying the evolutionary basis of weta reproduction and speciation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria G. Twort
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- Landcare Research, Auckland, New Zealand
- * E-mail:
| | | | | | | | - Richard D. Newcomb
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Thomas R. Buckley
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- Landcare Research, Auckland, New Zealand
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16
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Fochler S, Morozova TV, Davis MR, Gearhart AW, Huang W, Mackay TFC, Anholt RRH. Genetics of alcohol consumption in Drosophila melanogaster. GENES, BRAIN, AND BEHAVIOR 2017; 16:675-685. [PMID: 28627812 PMCID: PMC5667673 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2017] [Revised: 05/24/2017] [Accepted: 06/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Individual variation in alcohol consumption in human populations is determined by genetic, environmental, social and cultural factors. In contrast to humans, genetic contributions to complex behavioral phenotypes can be readily dissected in Drosophila, where both the genetic background and environment can be controlled and behaviors quantified through simple high-throughput assays. Here, we measured voluntary consumption of ethanol in ∼3000 individuals of each sex from an advanced intercross population derived from 37 lines of the Drosophila melanogaster Genetic Reference Panel. Extreme quantitative trait loci mapping identified 385 differentially segregating allelic variants located in or near 291 genes at P < 10-8 . The effects of single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with voluntary ethanol consumption are sex-specific, as found for other alcohol-related phenotypes. To assess causality, we used RNA interference knockdown or P{MiET1} mutants and their corresponding controls and functionally validated 86% of candidate genes in at least one sex. We constructed a genetic network comprised of 23 genes along with a separate trio and a pair of connected genes. Gene ontology analyses showed enrichment of developmental genes, including development of the nervous system. Furthermore, a network of human orthologs showed enrichment for signal transduction processes, protein metabolism and developmental processes, including nervous system development. Our results show that the genetic architecture that underlies variation in voluntary ethanol consumption is sexually dimorphic and partially overlaps with genetic factors that control variation in feeding behavior and alcohol sensitivity. This integrative genetic architecture is rooted in evolutionarily conserved features that can be extrapolated to human genetic interaction networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Fochler
- W. M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, Program in Genetics, and Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
- School of Biosciences and Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK
| | - T V Morozova
- W. M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, Program in Genetics, and Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - M R Davis
- W. M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, Program in Genetics, and Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - A W Gearhart
- W. M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, Program in Genetics, and Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - W Huang
- W. M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, Program in Genetics, and Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - T F C Mackay
- W. M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, Program in Genetics, and Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - R R H Anholt
- W. M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, Program in Genetics, and Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
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17
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Sharma V, Pandey AK, Kumar A, Misra S, Gupta HPK, Gupta S, Singh A, Buehner NA, Ravi Ram K. Functional male accessory glands and fertility in Drosophila require novel ecdysone receptor. PLoS Genet 2017; 13:e1006788. [PMID: 28493870 PMCID: PMC5444863 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1006788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2016] [Revised: 05/25/2017] [Accepted: 05/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In many insects, the accessory gland, a secretory tissue of the male reproductive system, is essential for male fertility. Male accessory gland is the major source of proteinaceous secretions, collectively called as seminal proteins (or accessory gland proteins), which upon transfer, manipulate the physiology and behavior of mated females. Insect hormones such as ecdysteroids and juvenoids play a key role in accessory gland development and protein synthesis but little is known about underlying molecular players and their mechanism of action. Therefore, in the present study, we examined the roles of hormone-dependent transcription factors (Nuclear Receptors), in accessory gland development, function and male fertility of a genetically tractable insect model, Drosophila melanogaster. First, we carried out an RNAi screen involving 19 hormone receptors, individually and specifically, in a male reproductive tissue (accessory gland) for their requirement in Drosophila male fertility. Subsequently, by using independent RNAi/ dominant negative forms, we show that Ecdysone Receptor (EcR) is essential for male fertility due to its requirement in the normal development of accessory glands in Drosophila: EcR depleted glands fail to make seminal proteins and have dying cells. Further, our data point to a novel ecdysone receptor that does not include Ultraspiracle but is probably comprised of EcR isoforms in Drosophila male accessory glands. Our data suggest that this novel ecdysone receptor might act downstream of homeodomain transcription factor paired (prd) in the male accessory gland. Overall, the study suggests novel ecdysone receptor as an important player in the hormonal regulation of seminal protein production and insect male fertility. Insects are the major contributors to biodiversity and have economic, agricultural and health importance. This unparalleled abundance of insects, in part, can be attributed to their high reproductive potential. In many insects, proteins derived from the accessory gland, the secretory tissue of male reproductive system, are critical for fertility. The production of these accessory gland proteins is regulated by insect hormones but the underlying mechanisms/molecular players remain poorly understood. Elucidation of the same has potential applications in designing pest control management strategies and to understand the effect of environmental chemicals on reproduction. In view of this, we analyzed the role, if any, of various insect hormone receptors in development and function of the male accessory gland in a genetically tractable insect model, Drosophila melanogaster. Here, we report the involvement of Ecdysone receptor (EcR with novel composition) in Drosophila male fertility. We show that the depletion of this receptor causes cell death in male accessory glands, which fail to produce seminal fluid proteins leading to sterility/sub-fertility of Drosophila males. These findings will find potential applications in designing insect pest control strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vandana Sharma
- Embryotoxicology Laboratory, Environmental Toxicology Group, CSIR- Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (CSIR-IITR), Vishvigyan Bhavan, 31, Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-IITR Campus, Lucknow. Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Anuj K. Pandey
- Embryotoxicology Laboratory, Environmental Toxicology Group, CSIR- Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (CSIR-IITR), Vishvigyan Bhavan, 31, Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Ajay Kumar
- Embryotoxicology Laboratory, Environmental Toxicology Group, CSIR- Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (CSIR-IITR), Vishvigyan Bhavan, 31, Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-IITR Campus, Lucknow. Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Snigdha Misra
- Embryotoxicology Laboratory, Environmental Toxicology Group, CSIR- Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (CSIR-IITR), Vishvigyan Bhavan, 31, Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-IITR Campus, Lucknow. Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Himanshu P. K. Gupta
- Embryotoxicology Laboratory, Environmental Toxicology Group, CSIR- Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (CSIR-IITR), Vishvigyan Bhavan, 31, Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-IITR Campus, Lucknow. Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Snigdha Gupta
- Embryotoxicology Laboratory, Environmental Toxicology Group, CSIR- Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (CSIR-IITR), Vishvigyan Bhavan, 31, Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-IITR Campus, Lucknow. Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Anshuman Singh
- Embryotoxicology Laboratory, Environmental Toxicology Group, CSIR- Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (CSIR-IITR), Vishvigyan Bhavan, 31, Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Norene A. Buehner
- Dept. of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States of America
| | - Kristipati Ravi Ram
- Embryotoxicology Laboratory, Environmental Toxicology Group, CSIR- Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (CSIR-IITR), Vishvigyan Bhavan, 31, Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-IITR Campus, Lucknow. Uttar Pradesh, India
- * E-mail:
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18
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Bayram H, Sayadi A, Goenaga J, Immonen E, Arnqvist G. Novel seminal fluid proteins in the seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus identified by a proteomic and transcriptomic approach. INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2017; 26:58-73. [PMID: 27779332 DOI: 10.1111/imb.12271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus is a significant agricultural pest and increasingly studied model of sexual conflict. Males possess genital spines that increase the transfer of seminal fluid proteins (SFPs) into the female body. As SFPs alter female behaviour and physiology, they are likely to modulate reproduction and sexual conflict in this species. Here, we identified SFPs using proteomics combined with a de novo transcriptome. A prior 2D-sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis identified male accessory gland protein spots that were probably transferred to the female at mating. Proteomic analysis of these spots identified 98 proteins, a majority of which were also present within ejaculates collected from females. Standard annotation workflows revealed common functional groups for SFPs, including proteases and metabolic proteins. Transcriptomic analysis found 84 transcripts differentially expressed between the sexes. Notably, genes encoding 15 proteins were highly expressed in male abdomens and only negligibly expressed within females. Most of these sequences corresponded to 'unknown' proteins (nine of 15) and may represent rapidly evolving SFPs novel to seed beetles. Our combined analyses highlight 44 proteins for which there is strong evidence that they are SFPs. These results can inform further investigation, to better understand the molecular mechanisms of sexual conflict in seed beetles.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Bayram
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - A Sayadi
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - J Goenaga
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - E Immonen
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - G Arnqvist
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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19
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Al-Wathiqui N, Fallon TR, South A, Weng JK, Lewis SM. Molecular characterization of firefly nuptial gifts: a multi-omics approach sheds light on postcopulatory sexual selection. Sci Rep 2016; 6:38556. [PMID: 28004739 PMCID: PMC5177949 DOI: 10.1038/srep38556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2016] [Accepted: 11/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Postcopulatory sexual selection is recognized as a key driver of reproductive trait evolution, including the machinery required to produce endogenous nuptial gifts. Despite the importance of such gifts, the molecular composition of the non-gametic components of male ejaculates and their interactions with female reproductive tracts remain poorly understood. During mating, male Photinus fireflies transfer to females a spermatophore gift manufactured by multiple reproductive glands. Here we combined transcriptomics of both male and female reproductive glands with proteomics and metabolomics to better understand the synthesis, composition and fate of the spermatophore in the common Eastern firefly, Photinus pyralis. Our transcriptome of male glands revealed up-regulation of proteases that may enhance male fertilization success and activate female immune response. Using bottom-up proteomics we identified 208 functionally annotated proteins that males transfer to the female in their spermatophore. Targeted metabolomic analysis also provided the first evidence that Photinus nuptial gifts contain lucibufagin, a firefly defensive toxin. The reproductive tracts of female fireflies showed increased gene expression for several proteases that may be involved in egg production. This study offers new insights into the molecular composition of male spermatophores, and extends our understanding of how nuptial gifts may mediate postcopulatory interactions between the sexes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Timothy R Fallon
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, 9 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Adam South
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Disease, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Jing-Ke Weng
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, 9 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Sara M Lewis
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA, 02155, USA
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20
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Papanicolaou A, Schetelig MF, Arensburger P, Atkinson PW, Benoit JB, Bourtzis K, Castañera P, Cavanaugh JP, Chao H, Childers C, Curril I, Dinh H, Doddapaneni H, Dolan A, Dugan S, Friedrich M, Gasperi G, Geib S, Georgakilas G, Gibbs RA, Giers SD, Gomulski LM, González-Guzmán M, Guillem-Amat A, Han Y, Hatzigeorgiou AG, Hernández-Crespo P, Hughes DST, Jones JW, Karagkouni D, Koskinioti P, Lee SL, Malacrida AR, Manni M, Mathiopoulos K, Meccariello A, Munoz-Torres M, Murali SC, Murphy TD, Muzny DM, Oberhofer G, Ortego F, Paraskevopoulou MD, Poelchau M, Qu J, Reczko M, Robertson HM, Rosendale AJ, Rosselot AE, Saccone G, Salvemini M, Savini G, Schreiner P, Scolari F, Siciliano P, Sim SB, Tsiamis G, Ureña E, Vlachos IS, Werren JH, Wimmer EA, Worley KC, Zacharopoulou A, Richards S, Handler AM. The whole genome sequence of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), reveals insights into the biology and adaptive evolution of a highly invasive pest species. Genome Biol 2016; 17:192. [PMID: 27659211 PMCID: PMC5034548 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-016-1049-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2016] [Accepted: 08/26/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly), Ceratitis capitata, is a major destructive insect pest due to its broad host range, which includes hundreds of fruits and vegetables. It exhibits a unique ability to invade and adapt to ecological niches throughout tropical and subtropical regions of the world, though medfly infestations have been prevented and controlled by the sterile insect technique (SIT) as part of integrated pest management programs (IPMs). The genetic analysis and manipulation of medfly has been subject to intensive study in an effort to improve SIT efficacy and other aspects of IPM control. Results The 479 Mb medfly genome is sequenced from adult flies from lines inbred for 20 generations. A high-quality assembly is achieved having a contig N50 of 45.7 kb and scaffold N50 of 4.06 Mb. In-depth curation of more than 1800 messenger RNAs shows specific gene expansions that can be related to invasiveness and host adaptation, including gene families for chemoreception, toxin and insecticide metabolism, cuticle proteins, opsins, and aquaporins. We identify genes relevant to IPM control, including those required to improve SIT. Conclusions The medfly genome sequence provides critical insights into the biology of one of the most serious and widespread agricultural pests. This knowledge should significantly advance the means of controlling the size and invasive potential of medfly populations. Its close relationship to Drosophila, and other insect species important to agriculture and human health, will further comparative functional and structural studies of insect genomes that should broaden our understanding of gene family evolution. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13059-016-1049-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexie Papanicolaou
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Marc F Schetelig
- Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Institute for Insect Biotechnology, 35394, Giessen, Germany
| | - Peter Arensburger
- Department of Biological Sciences, Cal Poly Pomona, Pomona, CA, 91768, USA
| | - Peter W Atkinson
- Department of Entomology and Center for Disease Vector Research, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA.,Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Genetics, Genomics & Bioinformatics, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA
| | - Joshua B Benoit
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 45221, USA
| | - Kostas Bourtzis
- Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Seibersdorf, Vienna, Austria.,Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Management, University of Patras, Agrinio, Greece
| | - Pedro Castañera
- Department of Environmental Biology, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, CSIC, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - John P Cavanaugh
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 45221, USA
| | - Hsu Chao
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | | | - Ingrid Curril
- Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Institut für Zoologie und Anthropologie, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Huyen Dinh
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - HarshaVardhan Doddapaneni
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Amanda Dolan
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14627, USA
| | - Shannon Dugan
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Markus Friedrich
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, 48202, USA
| | - Giuliano Gasperi
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Scott Geib
- USDA-ARS, Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center, Hilo, HI, 96720, USA
| | - Georgios Georgakilas
- DIANA-Lab, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Thessaly, 382 21 Volos, Greece and Hellenic Pasteur Institute, 11521, Athens, Greece
| | - Richard A Gibbs
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Sarah D Giers
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Ludvik M Gomulski
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Miguel González-Guzmán
- Department of Environmental Biology, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, CSIC, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ana Guillem-Amat
- Department of Environmental Biology, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, CSIC, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Yi Han
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Artemis G Hatzigeorgiou
- DIANA-Lab, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Thessaly, 382 21 Volos, Greece and Hellenic Pasteur Institute, 11521, Athens, Greece
| | - Pedro Hernández-Crespo
- Department of Environmental Biology, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, CSIC, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Daniel S T Hughes
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Jeffery W Jones
- Department of Biological Sciences, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, 48309, USA
| | - Dimitra Karagkouni
- DIANA-Lab, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Thessaly, 382 21 Volos, Greece and Hellenic Pasteur Institute, 11521, Athens, Greece
| | - Panagiota Koskinioti
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
| | - Sandra L Lee
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Anna R Malacrida
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Mosè Manni
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Kostas Mathiopoulos
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
| | - Angela Meccariello
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80126, Naples, Italy
| | | | - Shwetha C Murali
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Terence D Murphy
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Donna M Muzny
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Georg Oberhofer
- Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Institut für Zoologie und Anthropologie, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Félix Ortego
- Department of Environmental Biology, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, CSIC, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Maria D Paraskevopoulou
- DIANA-Lab, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Thessaly, 382 21 Volos, Greece and Hellenic Pasteur Institute, 11521, Athens, Greece
| | - Monica Poelchau
- National Agricultural Library, USDA, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA
| | - Jiaxin Qu
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Martin Reczko
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Biomedical Sciences Research Centre "Alexander Fleming", Vari, Greece
| | - Hugh M Robertson
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Andrew J Rosendale
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 45221, USA
| | - Andrew E Rosselot
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 45221, USA
| | - Giuseppe Saccone
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80126, Naples, Italy
| | - Marco Salvemini
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80126, Naples, Italy
| | - Grazia Savini
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Patrick Schreiner
- Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Genetics, Genomics & Bioinformatics, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA
| | - Francesca Scolari
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Paolo Siciliano
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Sheina B Sim
- USDA-ARS, Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center, Hilo, HI, 96720, USA
| | - George Tsiamis
- Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Management, University of Patras, Agrinio, Greece
| | - Enric Ureña
- Department of Environmental Biology, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, CSIC, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ioannis S Vlachos
- DIANA-Lab, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Thessaly, 382 21 Volos, Greece and Hellenic Pasteur Institute, 11521, Athens, Greece
| | - John H Werren
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14627, USA
| | - Ernst A Wimmer
- Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Institut für Zoologie und Anthropologie, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Kim C Worley
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | | | - Stephen Richards
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Alfred M Handler
- USDA-ARS, Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology, 1700 S.W. 23rd Drive, Gainesville, FL, 32608, USA.
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21
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Serpins in arthropod biology. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2016; 62:105-119. [PMID: 27603121 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2016.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2016] [Revised: 08/31/2016] [Accepted: 09/02/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Serpins are the largest known family of serine proteinase inhibitors and perform a variety of physiological functions in arthropods. Herein, we review the field of serpins in arthropod biology, providing an overview of current knowledge and topics of interest. Serpins regulate insect innate immunity via inhibition of serine proteinase cascades that initiate immune responses such as melanization and antimicrobial peptide production. In addition, several serpins with anti-pathogen activity are expressed as acute-phase serpins in insects upon infection. Parasitoid wasps can downregulate host serpin expression to modulate the host immune system. In addition, examples of serpin activity in development and reproduction in Drosophila have also been discovered. Serpins also function in host-pathogen interactions beyond immunity as constituents of venom in parasitoid wasps and saliva of blood-feeding ticks and mosquitoes. These serpins have distinct effects on immunosuppression and anticoagulation and are of interest for vaccine development. Lastly, the known structures of arthropod serpins are discussed, which represent the serpin inhibitory mechanism and provide a detailed overview of the process.
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22
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Poley JD, Sutherland BJG, Jones SRM, Koop BF, Fast MD. Sex-biased gene expression and sequence conservation in Atlantic and Pacific salmon lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis). BMC Genomics 2016; 17:483. [PMID: 27377915 PMCID: PMC4932673 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-016-2835-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2016] [Accepted: 06/13/2016] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Salmon lice, Lepeophtheirus salmonis (Copepoda: Caligidae), are highly important ectoparasites of farmed and wild salmonids, and cause multi-million dollar losses to the salmon aquaculture industry annually. Salmon lice display extensive sexual dimorphism in ontogeny, morphology, physiology, behavior, and more. Therefore, the identification of transcripts with differential expression between males and females (sex-biased transcripts) may help elucidate the relationship between sexual selection and sexually dimorphic characteristics. RESULTS Sex-biased transcripts were identified from transcriptome analyses of three L. salmonis populations, including both Atlantic and Pacific subspecies. A total of 35-43 % of all quality-filtered transcripts were sex-biased in L. salmonis, with male-biased transcripts exhibiting higher fold change than female-biased transcripts. For Gene Ontology and functional analyses, a consensus-based approach was used to identify concordantly differentially expressed sex-biased transcripts across the three populations. A total of 127 male-specific transcripts (i.e. those without detectable expression in any female) were identified, and were enriched with reproductive functions (e.g. seminal fluid and male accessory gland proteins). Other sex-biased transcripts involved in morphogenesis, feeding, energy generation, and sensory and immune system development and function were also identified. Interestingly, as observed in model systems, male-biased L. salmonis transcripts were more frequently without annotation compared to female-biased or unbiased transcripts, suggesting higher rates of sequence divergence in male-biased transcripts. CONCLUSIONS Transcriptome differences between male and female L. salmonis described here provide key insights into the molecular mechanisms controlling sexual dimorphism in L. salmonis. This analysis offers targets for parasite control and provides a foundation for further analyses exploring critical topics such as the interaction between sex and drug resistance, sex-specific factors in host-parasite relationships, and reproductive roles within L. salmonis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan D Poley
- Department of Pathology & Microbiology, Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island, 550 University Ave, Charlottetown, PE, C1A 4P3, Canada
| | - Ben J G Sutherland
- Department of Biology, Centre for Biomedical Research, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Rd, Victoria, BC, V8W 3 N5, Canada.,Present address: Département de biologie, Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèms (IBIS), Université Laval, 1030 Avenue de la Medecine, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Simon R M Jones
- Pacific Biological Station, 3190 Hammond Bay Road, Nanaimo, BC, V9T 6 N7, Canada
| | - Ben F Koop
- Department of Biology, Centre for Biomedical Research, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Rd, Victoria, BC, V8W 3 N5, Canada
| | - Mark D Fast
- Department of Pathology & Microbiology, Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island, 550 University Ave, Charlottetown, PE, C1A 4P3, Canada.
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23
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Noh S, Marshall JL. Sorted gene genealogies and species-specific nonsynonymous substitutions point to putative postmating prezygotic isolation genes in Allonemobius crickets. PeerJ 2016; 4:e1678. [PMID: 26893965 PMCID: PMC4756749 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.1678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2015] [Accepted: 01/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In the Allonemobius socius complex of crickets, reproductive isolation is primarily accomplished via postmating prezygotic barriers. We tested seven protein-coding genes expressed in the male ejaculate for patterns of evolution consistent with a putative role as postmating prezygotic isolation genes. Our recently diverged species generally lacked sequence variation. As a result, ω-based tests were only mildly successful. Some of our genes showed evidence of elevated ω values on the internal branches of gene trees. In a couple of genes, these internal branches coincided with both species branching events of the species tree, between A. fasciatus and the other two species, and between A. socius and A. sp. nov. Tex. In comparison, more successful approaches were those that took advantage of the varying degrees of lineage sorting and allele sharing among our young species. These approaches were particularly powerful within the contact zone. Among the genes we tested we found genes with genealogies that indicated relatively advanced degrees of lineage sorting across both allopatric and contact zone alleles. Within a contact zone between two members of the species complex, only a subset of genes maintained allelic segregation despite evidence of ongoing gene flow in other genes. The overlap in these analyses was arginine kinase (AK) and apolipoprotein A-1 binding protein (APBP). These genes represent two of the first examples of sperm maturation, capacitation, and motility proteins with fixed non-synonymous substitutions between species-specific alleles that may lead to postmating prezygotic isolation. Both genes express ejaculate proteins transferred to females during copulation and were previously identified through comparative proteomics. We discuss the potential function of these genes in the context of the specific postmating prezygotic isolation phenotype among our species, namely conspecific sperm precedence and the superior ability of conspecific males to induce oviposition in females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suegene Noh
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis , St. Louis, MO , United States
| | - Jeremy L Marshall
- Department of Entomology, Kansas State University , Manhattan, KS , United States
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24
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Proteome profiling reveals tissue-specific protein expression in male and female accessory glands of the silkworm, Bombyx mori. Amino Acids 2016; 48:1173-83. [DOI: 10.1007/s00726-015-2141-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2015] [Accepted: 11/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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25
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Proteome analysis of male accessory gland secretions in oriental fruit flies reveals juvenile hormone-binding protein, suggesting impact on female reproduction. Sci Rep 2015; 5:16845. [PMID: 26582577 PMCID: PMC4652233 DOI: 10.1038/srep16845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2015] [Accepted: 10/21/2015] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
In insects, the accessory gland proteins (Acps) secreted by male accessory glands (MAGs) account for the majority of seminal fluids proteins. Mixed with sperm, they are transferred to the female at mating and so impact reproduction. In this project, we identified 2,927 proteins in the MAG secretions of the oriental fruit fly Bactrocera dorsalis, an important agricultural pest worldwide, using LC-MS analysis, and all sequences containing open reading frames were analyzed using signalP. In total, 90 Acps were identified. About one third (26) of these 90 Acps had a specific functional description, while the other two thirds (64) had no functional description including dozens of new classes of proteins. Hence, several of these novel Acps were abundant in the MAG secretions, and we confirmed their MAG-specific expression by qPCR. Finally and interestingly, one of these novel proteins was functionally predicted as juvenile hormone-binding protein, suggesting the impact of Acps with reproductive events in the female. Our results will aid in the development of an experimental method to identify Acps in insects, and in turn this information with new Acps in B. dorsalis will pave the way of further exploration their function in reproduction and potential development as new insecticide targets.
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26
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Yuan LL, Chen X, Zong Q, Zhao T, Wang JL, Zheng Y, Zhang M, Wang Z, Brownlie JC, Yang F, Wang YF. Quantitative Proteomic Analyses of Molecular Mechanisms Associated with Cytoplasmic Incompatibility in Drosophila melanogaster Induced by Wolbachia. J Proteome Res 2015. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.5b00191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Lin-Ling Yuan
- Hubei
Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, School
of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiulan Chen
- Key
Laboratory of Protein and Peptide Pharmaceuticals and Laboratory of
Proteomics, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, People’s Republic of China
| | - Qiong Zong
- Hubei
Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, School
of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, People’s Republic of China
| | - Ting Zhao
- Hubei
Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, School
of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jia-Lin Wang
- Hubei
Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, School
of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, People’s Republic of China
| | - Ya Zheng
- Hubei
Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, School
of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, People’s Republic of China
| | - Ming Zhang
- Hubei
Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, School
of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zailong Wang
- Novartis Pharmaceuticals, East Hanover, New Jersey 07936, United States
| | - Jeremy C. Brownlie
- School
of Natural Science, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland 4111, Australia
| | - Fuquan Yang
- Key
Laboratory of Protein and Peptide Pharmaceuticals and Laboratory of
Proteomics, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yu-Feng Wang
- Hubei
Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, School
of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, People’s Republic of China
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Rodríguez-García MJ, Machado V, Galián J. Identification and characterisation of putative seminal fluid proteins from male reproductive tissue EST libraries in tiger beetles. BMC Genomics 2015; 16:391. [PMID: 25981911 PMCID: PMC4434525 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-015-1619-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2014] [Accepted: 05/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The study of proteins transferred through semen can provide important information for biological questions such as adaptive evolution, the origin of new species and species richness. The objective of this study was to identify seminal fluid proteins (SFPs) that may contribute to the study of the reproductive system of tiger beetles (cicindelids), a group of more than 2,500 species distributed worldwide that occupy a great diversity of habitats. RESULTS Two cDNA libraries were constructed from the male gonads of Calomera littoralis and Cephalota litorea. Expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were analysed by bioinformatics approaches and 14 unigenes were selected as candidate SFPs, which were submitted to Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) to identify patterns of tissue-specific expression. We have identified four novel putative SFPs of cicindelids, of which similarity searches did not show homologues with known function. However, two of the protein classes (immune response and hormone) predicted by Protfun are similar to SFPs reported in other insects. Searches for homology in other cicindelids showed one lineage specific SFPs (rapidly evolving proteins), only present in the closely related species C. littoralis and Lophyra flexuosa and two conserved SFP present in other tiger beetles species tested. CONCLUSIONS This work represents the first characterisation of putative SFPs in Adephagan species of the order Coleoptera. The results will serve as a foundation for further studies aimed to understand gene (and protein) functions and their evolutionary implications in this group of ecologically relevant beetles.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Juliana Rodríguez-García
- Department of Zoology and Physical Anthropology, Faculty of Veterinary, University of Murcia, Campus Mare Nostrum, E-30100, Murcia, Spain.
| | - Vilmar Machado
- Department of Zoology and Physical Anthropology, Faculty of Veterinary, University of Murcia, Campus Mare Nostrum, E-30100, Murcia, Spain.
| | - José Galián
- Department of Zoology and Physical Anthropology, Faculty of Veterinary, University of Murcia, Campus Mare Nostrum, E-30100, Murcia, Spain.
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28
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Sieminska EA, Andres JA, Todd CD, Erlandson MA. Characterization of Melanoplus sanguinipes oviposition stimulating protein expression and re-examination of its potential role in stimulating oviposition. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2015; 73:37-46. [PMID: 25617688 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2015.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2014] [Revised: 01/07/2015] [Accepted: 01/12/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Melanoplussanguinipes oviposition stimulating protein (MsOSP) was characterized and its role in stimulating oviposition in virgin females was examined. A 967nt MsOSP mRNA sequence with homology to previously characterized N-terminal amino acid sequence data for MsOSP was identified in a RNAseq library generated from an mRNA pool from the long hyaline tubule (LHT) of the male accessory gland complex. This transcript contained a predicted 729nt open reading frame encoding the 242aa putative MsOSP protein and had the second highest read abundance in the library. The MsOSP transcript was detected exclusively in the LHT tissue of adult males and its abundance increased with time until 7 days post-eclosion. Western blot analysis using an anti-MsOSP antibody showed high levels of MsOSP protein in the LHT luminal secretions of virgin males and to a lesser degree was associated with the aedeagus and ejaculatory duct. MsOSP was shown to be a major protein component of the spermatophore packet transferred from the male to female during copulation. However, only minor amounts of MsOSP could be detected in the female bursa, spermatheca and oviduct. Intrahemocoelic injection of LHT luminal protein into mature virgin females stimulated oviposition in ∼ 65% of females. A similar but non-significant trend was observed upon injection of purified recombinant MsOSP protein, and immunoprecipitation of LHT protein with anti-MsOSP antibody led to abrogation of oviposition stimulation upon injection of mature virgin females. Despite the demonstration of stimulation of oviposition upon intrahemocoelic injection of LHT-derived-MsOSP into mature virgin females, the potential mode of action of MsOSP in this process remains to be determined. MsOSP cannot be detected in the tissues other than the bursa, spermatheca and oviduct of female grasshoppers and relatively large quantities of MsOSP are required to stimulate oviposition upon injection.
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Affiliation(s)
- E A Sieminska
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada; Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saskatoon Research Centre, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - J A Andres
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - C D Todd
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - M A Erlandson
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada; Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saskatoon Research Centre, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
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29
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Sirot LK, Wong A, Chapman T, Wolfner MF. Sexual conflict and seminal fluid proteins: a dynamic landscape of sexual interactions. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 2014; 7:a017533. [PMID: 25502515 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a017533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Sexual reproduction requires coordinated contributions from both sexes to proceed efficiently. However, the reproductive strategies that the sexes adopt often have the potential to give rise to sexual conflict because they can result in divergent, sex-specific costs and benefits. These conflicts can occur at many levels, from molecular to behavioral. Here, we consider sexual conflict mediated through the actions of seminal fluid proteins. These proteins provide many excellent examples in which to trace the operation of sexual conflict from molecules through to behavior. Seminal fluid proteins are made by males and provided to females during mating. As agents that can modulate egg production at several steps, as well as reproductive behavior, sperm "management," and female feeding, activity, and longevity, the actions of seminal proteins are prime targets for sexual conflict. We review these actions in the context of sexual conflict. We discuss genomic signatures in seminal protein (and related) genes that are consistent with current or previous sexual conflict. Finally, we note promising areas for future study and highlight real-world practical situations that will benefit from understanding the nature of sexual conflicts mediated by seminal proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura K Sirot
- Department of Biology, College of Wooster, Wooster, Ohio 44691
| | - Alex Wong
- Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Tracey Chapman
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom
| | - Mariana F Wolfner
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853
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30
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Exposure to endosulfan influences sperm competition in Drosophila melanogaster. Sci Rep 2014; 4:7433. [PMID: 25503806 PMCID: PMC4262826 DOI: 10.1038/srep07433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2014] [Accepted: 11/21/2014] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Dwindling male fertility due to xenobiotics is of global concern. Accordingly, male reproductive toxicity assessment of xenobiotics through semen quality analysis in exposed males, and examining progeny production of their mates is critical. These assays, in part, are biased towards monogamy. Females soliciting multiple male partners (polyandry) is the norm in many species. Polyandry incites sperm competition and allows females to bias sperm use. However, consequences of xenobiotic exposure to the sperm in the light of sperm competition remain to be understood. Therefore, we exposed Drosophila melanogaster males to endosulfan, and evaluated their progeny production as well as the ability of their sperm to counter rival control sperm in the storage organs of females sequentially mated to control/exposed males. Endosulfan (2 μg/ml) had no significant effect on progeny production and on the expression of certain genes associated with reproduction. However, exposed males performed worse in sperm competition, both as 1(st) and 2(nd) male competitors. These findings indicate that simple non-competitive measures of reproductive ability may fail to demonstrate the harmful effects of low-level exposure to xenobiotics on reproduction and advocate consideration of sperm competition, as a parameter, in the reproductive toxicity assessment of xenobiotics to mimic situations prevailing in the nature.
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31
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Schnakenberg SL, Siegal ML, Bloch Qazi MC. Oh, the places they'll go: Female sperm storage and sperm precedence in Drosophila melanogaster. SPERMATOGENESIS 2014; 2:224-235. [PMID: 23087839 PMCID: PMC3469444 DOI: 10.4161/spmg.21655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Among most animals with internal fertilization, females store sperm in specific regions of their reproductive tract for later use. Sperm storage enables prolonged fertility, physical and temporal separation of mating from fertilization and, when females mate with multiple males, opportunities for differential use of the various males’ sperm. Thus, stored sperm move within the female reproductive tract as well as to several potential fates – fertilization, displacement by other sperm or ejection by the female. Drosophila melanogaster is a leading model system for elucidating both the mechanisms and evolutionary consequences of female sperm storage and differential male fertilization success. The prominence of Drosophila is due, in part, to the ability to examine processes influencing sperm movement and fate at several biological levels, from molecules to organ systems. In this review, we describe male and female factors, as well as their interactions, involved in female sperm storage and differential male fertilization success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra L Schnakenberg
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology; Department of Biology; New York University; New York, NY USA
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Misra S, Singh A, C H R, Sharma V, Reddy Mudiam MK, Ram KR. Identification of Drosophila-based endpoints for the assessment and understanding of xenobiotic-mediated male reproductive adversities. Toxicol Sci 2014; 141:278-91. [PMID: 24973093 DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/kfu125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Men are at risk of becoming completely infertile due to innumerable environmental chemicals and pollutants. These xenobiotics, hence, should be tested for their potential adverse effects on male fertility. However, the testing load, a monumental challenge for employing conventional animal models, compels the pursuit of alternative models. Towards this direction, we show here that Drosophila melanogaster, an invertebrate, with its well characterized/conserved male reproductive processes/proteome, recapitulates male reproductive toxicity phenotypes observed in mammals when exposed to a known reproductive toxicant, dibutyl phthalate (DBP). Analogous to mammals, exposure to DBP reduced fertility, sperm counts, seminal proteins, increased oxidative modification/damage in reproductive tract proteins and altered the activity of a hormone receptor (estrogen related receptor) in Drosophila males. In addition, we show here that DBP is metabolized to monobutyl phthalate (MBP) in exposed Drosophila males and that MBP is more toxic than DBP, as observed in higher organisms. These findings suggest Drosophila as a potential alternative to traditional animal models for the prescreening of chemicals for their reproductive adversities and also to gain mechanistic insights into chemical-mediated endocrine disruption and male infertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Snigdha Misra
- Embryotoxicology, CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Lucknow 226001, UP, India Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Lucknow 226001, UP, India
| | - Anshuman Singh
- Embryotoxicology, CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Lucknow 226001, UP, India
| | - Ratnasekhar C H
- Analytical Chemistry, CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Lucknow 226001, UP, India Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Lucknow 226001, UP, India
| | - Vandana Sharma
- Embryotoxicology, CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Lucknow 226001, UP, India Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Lucknow 226001, UP, India
| | - Mohana Krishna Reddy Mudiam
- Analytical Chemistry, CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Lucknow 226001, UP, India Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Lucknow 226001, UP, India
| | - Kristipati Ravi Ram
- Embryotoxicology, CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Lucknow 226001, UP, India Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Lucknow 226001, UP, India
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Liu C, Wang JL, Zheng Y, Xiong EJ, Li JJ, Yuan LL, Yu XQ, Wang YF. Wolbachia-induced paternal defect in Drosophila is likely by interaction with the juvenile hormone pathway. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2014; 49:49-58. [PMID: 24721205 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2014.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2014] [Revised: 03/26/2014] [Accepted: 03/29/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Wolbachia are endosymbionts that infect many insect species. They can manipulate the host's reproduction to increase their own maternal transmission. Cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) is one such manipulation, which is expressed as embryonic lethality when Wolbachia-infected males mate with uninfected females. However, matings between males and females carrying the same Wolbachia strain result in viable progeny. The molecular mechanisms of CI are currently not clear. We have previously reported that the gene Juvenile hormone-inducible protein 26 (JhI-26) exhibited the highest upregulation in the 3rd instar larval testes of Drosophila melanogaster when infected by Wolbachia. This is reminiscent of an interaction between Wolbachia and juvenile hormone (JH) pathway in flies. Considering that Jhamt gene encodes JH acid methyltransferase, a key regulatory enzyme of JH biosynthesis, and that methoprene-tolerant (Met) has been regarded as the best JH receptor candidate, we first compared the expression of Jhamt and Met between Wolbachia-infected and uninfected fly testes to investigate whether Wolbachia infection influence the JH signaling pathway. We found that the expressions of Jhamt and Met were significantly increased in the presence of Wolbachia, suggesting an interaction of Wolbachia with the JH signaling pathway. Then, we found that overexpression of JhI-26 in Wolbachia-free transgenic male flies caused paternal-effect lethality that mimics the defects associated with CI. JhI-26 overexpressing males resulted in significantly decrease in hatch rate. Surprisingly, Wolbachia-infected females could rescue the egg hatch. In addition, we showed that overexpression of JhI-26 caused upregulation of the male accessory gland protein (Acp) gene CG10433, but not vice versa. This result suggests that JhI-26 may function at the upstream of CG10433. Likewise, overexpression of CG10433 also resulted in paternal-effect lethality. Both JhI-26 and CG10433 overexpressing males resulted in nuclear division defects in the early embryos. Finally, we found that Wolbachia-infected males decreased the propensity of the mated females to remating, a phenotype also caused by both JhI-26 and CG10433 overexpressing males. Taken together, our results provide a working hypothesis whereby Wolbachia induce paternal defects in Drosophila probably by interaction with the JH pathway via JH response genes JhI-26 and CG10433.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Liu
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, College of Life Science, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, PR China
| | - Jia-Lin Wang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, College of Life Science, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, PR China
| | - Ya Zheng
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, College of Life Science, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, PR China
| | - En-Juan Xiong
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, College of Life Science, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, PR China
| | - Jing-Jing Li
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, College of Life Science, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, PR China
| | - Lin-Ling Yuan
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, College of Life Science, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, PR China
| | - Xiao-Qiang Yu
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, College of Life Science, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, PR China; School of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri-Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Yu-Feng Wang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, College of Life Science, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, PR China.
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Reduction of the number of major representative allergens: from clinical testing to 3-dimensional structures. Mediators Inflamm 2014; 2014:291618. [PMID: 24778467 PMCID: PMC3980986 DOI: 10.1155/2014/291618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2013] [Accepted: 02/07/2014] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Vast amounts of allergen sequence data have been accumulated, thus complicating the identification of specific allergenic proteins when performing diagnostic allergy tests and immunotherapy. This study aims to rank the importance/potency of the allergens so as to logically reduce the number of allergens and/or allergenic sources. Meta-analysis of 62 allergenic sources used for intradermal testing on 3,335 allergic patients demonstrated that in southern China, mite, sesame, spiny amaranth, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and house dust account for 88.0% to 100% of the observed positive reactions to the 62 types of allergenic sources tested. The Kolmogorov-Smironov Test results of the website-obtained allergen data and allergen family featured peptides suggested that allergen research in laboratories worldwide has been conducted in parallel on many of the same species. The major allergens were reduced to 21 representative allergens, which were further divided into seven structural classes, each of which contains similar structural components. This study therefore has condensed numerous allergenic sources and major allergens into fewer major representative ones, thus allowing for the use of a smaller number of allergens when conducting comprehensive allergen testing and immunotherapy treatments.
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Isaac RE, Kim YJ, Audsley N. The degradome and the evolution of Drosophila sex peptide as a ligand for the MIP receptor. Peptides 2014; 53:258-64. [PMID: 24398368 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2013.12.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2013] [Revised: 12/18/2013] [Accepted: 12/18/2013] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
The male sex peptide (SP) of Drosophila melanogaster has wide ranging effects on females, including rejection of courting males, increased egg production, changes to the feeding habit, increased synthesis of antimicrobial peptides and elevated locomotor activity during day-time. The peptide activates receptors in sensory neurons of the female reproductive tract and can also traverse into the hemolymph and reach the central nervous system. The SP receptor involved in rejection and egg-laying responses has been shown to be identical to the receptor for the evolutionary conserved myoinhibitory peptides (MIPs) that function as neuropeptides in both males and females. Intriguingly, MIPs cannot substitute for SP when either expressed in the male accessory glands or injected into virgin females. MIPs are linear peptides with an amidated C-terminus which protects them from cleavage by carboxypeptidases, but leaves them exposed to potential attack from aminopeptidase and endopeptidase activities. In contrast, the SP region responsible for eliciting the post-mating response is cyclic and has several hydroxyproline residues N-terminal to the disulfide bridge which is expected to protect the biological activity of SP from peptidases of the male accessory gland and seminal fluid. We now present in vitro data showing that SP is metabolically stable, whereas MIPs are much more susceptible to degradation by peptidases of the male accessory gland and the hemolymph of virgin female D. melanogaster. SP has evolved relatively recently as a MIP receptor ligand that is particularly well adapted to surviving in the hostile degradome of the male accessory gland and seminal fluid.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Elwyn Isaac
- School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.
| | - Young-Joon Kim
- Department of Life Science, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 500-712, Republic of Korea
| | - Neil Audsley
- The Food and Environmental Research Agency, Sand Hutton, York, YO41 1LZ, UK
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Moskalev A, Shaposhnikov M, Snezhkina A, Kogan V, Plyusnina E, Peregudova D, Melnikova N, Uroshlev L, Mylnikov S, Dmitriev A, Plusnin S, Fedichev P, Kudryavtseva A. Mining gene expression data for pollutants (dioxin, toluene, formaldehyde) and low dose of gamma-irradiation. PLoS One 2014; 9:e86051. [PMID: 24475070 PMCID: PMC3901678 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0086051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2013] [Accepted: 12/04/2013] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
General and specific effects of molecular genetic responses to adverse environmental factors are not well understood. This study examines genome-wide gene expression profiles of Drosophila melanogaster in response to ionizing radiation, formaldehyde, toluene, and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin. We performed RNA-seq analysis on 25,415 transcripts to measure the change in gene expression in males and females separately. An analysis of the genes unique to each treatment yielded a list of genes as a gene expression signature. In the case of radiation exposure, both sexes exhibited a reproducible increase in their expression of the transcription factors sugarbabe and tramtrack. The influence of dioxin up-regulated metabolic genes, such as anachronism, CG16727, and several genes with unknown function. Toluene activated a gene involved in the response to the toxins, Cyp12d1-p; the transcription factor Fer3's gene; the metabolic genes CG2065, CG30427, and CG34447; and the genes Spn28Da and Spn3, which are responsible for reproduction and immunity. All significantly differentially expressed genes, including those shared among the stressors, can be divided into gene groups using Gene Ontology Biological Process identifiers. These gene groups are related to defense response, biological regulation, the cell cycle, metabolic process, and circadian rhythms. KEGG molecular pathway analysis revealed alteration of the Notch signaling pathway, TGF-beta signaling pathway, proteasome, basal transcription factors, nucleotide excision repair, Jak-STAT signaling pathway, circadian rhythm, Hippo signaling pathway, mTOR signaling pathway, ribosome, mismatch repair, RNA polymerase, mRNA surveillance pathway, Hedgehog signaling pathway, and DNA replication genes. Females and, to a lesser extent, males actively metabolize xenobiotics by the action of cytochrome P450 when under the influence of dioxin and toluene. Finally, in this work we obtained gene expression signatures pollutants (dioxin, toluene), low dose of gamma-irradiation and common molecular pathways for different kind of stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexey Moskalev
- Laboratory of Molecular Radiobiology and Gerontology, Institute of Biology of Komi Science Center of RAS, Syktyvkar, Russia
- Ecological Department, Syktyvkar State University, Syktyvkar, Russia
- Laboratory of Genetics of Aging and Longevity, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, Russia
| | - Mikhail Shaposhnikov
- Laboratory of Molecular Radiobiology and Gerontology, Institute of Biology of Komi Science Center of RAS, Syktyvkar, Russia
- Ecological Department, Syktyvkar State University, Syktyvkar, Russia
| | - Anastasia Snezhkina
- Group of Postgenomic Studies, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology of RAS, Moscow, Russia
| | - Valeria Kogan
- Laboratory of Genetics of Aging and Longevity, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, Russia
- Quantum Pharmaceuticals, Moscow, Russia
| | - Ekaterina Plyusnina
- Laboratory of Molecular Radiobiology and Gerontology, Institute of Biology of Komi Science Center of RAS, Syktyvkar, Russia
- Ecological Department, Syktyvkar State University, Syktyvkar, Russia
| | - Darya Peregudova
- Laboratory of Molecular Radiobiology and Gerontology, Institute of Biology of Komi Science Center of RAS, Syktyvkar, Russia
| | - Nataliya Melnikova
- Group of Postgenomic Studies, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology of RAS, Moscow, Russia
| | - Leonid Uroshlev
- Group of Postgenomic Studies, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology of RAS, Moscow, Russia
- Department of Computational Systems Biology, Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Moscow, Russia
| | - Sergey Mylnikov
- Department of Genetics, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Alexey Dmitriev
- Group of Postgenomic Studies, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology of RAS, Moscow, Russia
| | - Sergey Plusnin
- Laboratory of Molecular Radiobiology and Gerontology, Institute of Biology of Komi Science Center of RAS, Syktyvkar, Russia
- Ecological Department, Syktyvkar State University, Syktyvkar, Russia
| | - Peter Fedichev
- Laboratory of Genetics of Aging and Longevity, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, Russia
- Quantum Pharmaceuticals, Moscow, Russia
| | - Anna Kudryavtseva
- Group of Postgenomic Studies, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology of RAS, Moscow, Russia
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Wong A, Rundle H. Selection on the Drosophila seminal fluid protein Acp62F. Ecol Evol 2013; 3:1942-50. [PMID: 23919141 PMCID: PMC3728936 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2013] [Revised: 04/24/2013] [Accepted: 04/25/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Sperm competition and sexual conflict are thought to underlie the rapid evolution of reproductive proteins in many taxa. While comparative data are generally consistent with these hypotheses, few manipulative tests have been conducted and those that have provided contradictory results in some cases. Here, we use both comparative and experimental techniques to investigate the evolution of the Drosophila melanogaster seminal fluid protein Acp62F, a protease inhibitor for which extensive functional tests have yielded ambiguous results. Using between-species sequence comparisons, we show that Acp62F has been subject to recurrent positive selection. In addition, we experimentally evolved populations polymorphic for an Acp62F null allele over eight generations, manipulating the opportunities for natural and sexual selection. We found that the Acp62F null allele increased in frequency in the presence of natural selection, with no effect of sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Wong
- Department of Biology, Carleton University Ottawa, Canada ; Department of Biology and Center for Advanced Research in Environmental Genomics, University of Ottawa Ottawa, Canada
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Good JM, Wiebe V, Albert FW, Burbano HA, Kircher M, Green RE, Halbwax M, André C, Atencia R, Fischer A, Pääbo S. Comparative population genomics of the ejaculate in humans and the great apes. Mol Biol Evol 2013; 30:964-76. [PMID: 23329688 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/mst005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The rapid molecular evolution of reproductive genes is nearly ubiquitous across animals, yet the selective forces and functional targets underlying this divergence remain poorly understood. Humans and closely related species of great apes show strongly divergent mating systems, providing a powerful system to investigate the influence of sperm competition on the evolution of reproductive genes. This is complemented by detailed information on male reproductive biology and unparalleled genomic resources in humans. Here, we have used custom microarrays to capture and sequence 285 genes encoding proteins present in the ejaculate as well as 101 randomly selected control genes in 21 gorillas, 20 chimpanzees, 20 bonobos, and 20 humans. In total, we have generated >25× average genomic coverage per individual for over 1 million target base pairs. Our analyses indicate high levels of evolutionary constraint across much of the ejaculate combined with more rapid evolution of genes involved in immune defense and proteolysis. We do not find evidence for appreciably more positive selection along the lineage leading to bonobos and chimpanzees, although this would be predicted given more intense sperm competition in these species. Rather, the extent of positive and negative selection depended more on the effective population sizes of the species. Thus, general patterns of male reproductive protein evolution among apes and humans depend strongly on gene function but not on inferred differences in the intensity of sperm competition among extant species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey M Good
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
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Laflamme BA, Wolfner MF. Identification and function of proteolysis regulators in seminal fluid. Mol Reprod Dev 2012; 80:80-101. [PMID: 23109270 DOI: 10.1002/mrd.22130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2012] [Accepted: 10/20/2012] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Proteins in the seminal fluid of animals with internal fertilization effect numerous responses in mated females that impact both male and female fertility. Among these proteins is the highly represented class of proteolysis regulators (proteases and their inhibitors). Though proteolysis regulators have now been identified in the seminal fluid of all animals in which proteomic studies of the seminal fluid have been conducted (as well as several other species in which they have not), a unified understanding of the importance of proteolysis to male fertilization success and other reproductive processes has not yet been achieved. In this review, we provide an overview of the identification of proteolysis regulators in the seminal fluid of humans and Drosophila melanogaster, the two species with the most comprehensively known seminal fluid proteomes. We also highlight reports demonstrating the functional significance of specific proteolysis regulators in reproductive and post-mating processes. Finally, we make broad suggestions for the direction of future research into the roles of both active seminal fluid proteolysis regulators and their inactive homologs, another significant class of seminal fluid proteins. We hope that this review aids researchers in pursuing a coordinated study of the functional significance of proteolysis regulators in semen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brooke A Laflamme
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853-2703, USA
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Xu J, Baulding J, Palli SR. Proteomics of Tribolium castaneum seminal fluid proteins: identification of an angiotensin-converting enzyme as a key player in regulation of reproduction. J Proteomics 2012. [PMID: 23195916 DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2012.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Seminal fluid proteins (SFPs) play important roles in regulation of reproduction and behavior. Proteomics approaches were used to identify 13 SFPs, including 3 new proteins in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum. The 13 SFP genes identified code for Serpin, cysteine-rich protein, odorant binding protein-like (OBPL, G10064 and G10065), Kunitz-like protease inhibitor precursor, and WD 40 family protein and are predominantly expressed in the male accessory glands. The genes coding for 13 putative SFPs were knocked down in males; the RNAi males were mated with virgin females, and the number of eggs produced by the mated females was quantified. Knockdown in the expression of the gene coding for a protein similar to angiotensin-converting enzyme 9 (G15465, TcACE) in the males caused a decrease in egg production by the females when compared to the eggs produced by the females mated with control males. In addition, knockdown in the expression of the gene coding for heat shock cognate 70 led to a reduction in the amount of proteins produced by the male accessory glands by 55%. These data suggest that angiotensin-converting enzyme produced in the male seminal vesicles plays important roles in sperm protection during and after transfer to females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Xu
- Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546, USA
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Scolari F, Gomulski LM, Ribeiro JMC, Siciliano P, Meraldi A, Falchetto M, Bonomi A, Manni M, Gabrieli P, Malovini A, Bellazzi R, Aksoy S, Gasperi G, Malacrida AR. Transcriptional profiles of mating-responsive genes from testes and male accessory glands of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata. PLoS One 2012; 7:e46812. [PMID: 23071645 PMCID: PMC3469604 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0046812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2012] [Accepted: 09/05/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Insect seminal fluid is a complex mixture of proteins, carbohydrates and lipids, produced in the male reproductive tract. This seminal fluid is transferred together with the spermatozoa during mating and induces post-mating changes in the female. Molecular characterization of seminal fluid proteins in the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata, is limited, although studies suggest that some of these proteins are biologically active. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We report on the functional annotation of 5914 high quality expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from the testes and male accessory glands, to identify transcripts encoding putative secreted peptides that might elicit post-mating responses in females. The ESTs were assembled into 3344 contigs, of which over 33% produced no hits against the nr database, and thus may represent novel or rapidly evolving sequences. Extraction of the coding sequences resulted in a total of 3371 putative peptides. The annotated dataset is available as a hyperlinked spreadsheet. Four hundred peptides were identified with putative secretory activity, including odorant binding proteins, protease inhibitor domain-containing peptides, antigen 5 proteins, mucins, and immunity-related sequences. Quantitative RT-PCR-based analyses of a subset of putative secretory protein-encoding transcripts from accessory glands indicated changes in their abundance after one or more copulations when compared to virgin males of the same age. These changes in abundance, particularly evident after the third mating, may be related to the requirement to replenish proteins to be transferred to the female. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE We have developed the first large-scale dataset for novel studies on functions and processes associated with the reproductive biology of Ceratitis capitata. The identified genes may help study genome evolution, in light of the high adaptive potential of the medfly. In addition, studies of male recovery dynamics in terms of accessory gland gene expression profiles and correlated remating inhibition mechanisms may permit the improvement of pest management approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Scolari
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Ludvik M. Gomulski
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - José M. C. Ribeiro
- Section of Vector Biology, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Rockville, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Paolo Siciliano
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Alice Meraldi
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Marco Falchetto
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Angelica Bonomi
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Mosè Manni
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Paolo Gabrieli
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Alberto Malovini
- IRCCS, Fondazione Salvatore Maugeri, Pavia, Italy
- Istituto Universitario di Studi Superiori (IUSS), Pavia, Italy
- Department of Industrial and Information Engineering, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Riccardo Bellazzi
- Department of Industrial and Information Engineering, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Serap Aksoy
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Giuliano Gasperi
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Anna R. Malacrida
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
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Dottorini T, Persampieri T, Palladino P, Baker DA, Spaccapelo R, Senin N, Crisanti A. Regulation of Anopheles gambiae male accessory gland genes influences postmating response in female. FASEB J 2012; 27:86-97. [PMID: 22997226 DOI: 10.1096/fj.12-219444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
In Drosophila, the accessory gland proteins (Acps) secreted from the male accessory glands (MAGs) and transferred along with sperm into the female reproductive tract have been implicated in triggering postmating behavioral changes, including refractoriness to subsequent mating and propensity to egg laying. Recently, Acps have been found also in Anopheles, suggesting similar functions. Understanding the mechanisms underlying transcriptional regulation of Acps and their functional role in modulating Anopheles postmating behavior may lead to the identification of novel vector control strategies to reduce mosquito populations. We identified heat-shock factor (HSF) binding sites within the Acp promoters of male Anopheles gambiae and discovered three distinct Hsf isoforms; one being significantly up-regulated in the MAGs after mating. Through genome-wide transcription analysis of Hsf-silenced males, we observed significant down-regulation in 50% of the Acp genes if compared to control males treated with a construct directed against an unrelated bacterial sequence. Treated males retained normal life span and reproductive behavior compared to control males. However, mated wild-type females showed a ∼46% reduction of egg deposition rate and a ∼23% reduction of hatching rate (∼58% combined reduction of progeny). Our results highlight an unsuspected role of HSF in regulating Acp transcription in A. gambiae and provide evidence that Acp down-regulation in males leads a significant reduction of progeny, thus opening new avenues toward the development of novel vector control strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tania Dottorini
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
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Azevedo RVDM, Dias DBS, Bretãs JAC, Mazzoni CJ, Souza NA, Albano RM, Wagner G, Davila AMR, Peixoto AA. The transcriptome of Lutzomyia longipalpis (Diptera: Psychodidae) male reproductive organs. PLoS One 2012; 7:e34495. [PMID: 22496818 PMCID: PMC3320635 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0034495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2011] [Accepted: 03/01/2012] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background It has been suggested that genes involved in the reproductive biology of insect disease vectors are potential targets for future alternative methods of control. Little is known about the molecular biology of reproduction in phlebotomine sand flies and there is no information available concerning genes that are expressed in male reproductive organs of Lutzomyia longipalpis, the main vector of American visceral leishmaniasis and a species complex. Methods/Principal Findings We generated 2678 high quality ESTs (“Expressed Sequence Tags”) of L. longipalpis male reproductive organs that were grouped in 1391 non-redundant sequences (1136 singlets and 255 clusters). BLAST analysis revealed that only 57% of these sequences share similarity with a L. longipalpis female EST database. Although no more than 36% of the non-redundant sequences showed similarity to protein sequences deposited in databases, more than half of them presented the best-match hits with mosquito genes. Gene ontology analysis identified subsets of genes involved in biological processes such as protein biosynthesis and DNA replication, which are probably associated with spermatogenesis. A number of non-redundant sequences were also identified as putative male reproductive gland proteins (mRGPs), also known as male accessory gland protein genes (Acps). Conclusions The transcriptome analysis of L. longipalpis male reproductive organs is one step further in the study of the molecular basis of the reproductive biology of this important species complex. It has allowed the identification of genes potentially involved in spermatogenesis as well as putative mRGPs sequences, which have been studied in many insect species because of their effects on female post-mating behavior and physiology and their potential role in sexual selection and speciation. These data open a number of new avenues for further research in the molecular and evolutionary reproductive biology of sand flies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Denise B. S. Dias
- Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Departamento de Biologia Celular, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Camila J. Mazzoni
- Institut für Zoo-und Wildtierforschung, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin Center for Genomics in Biodiversity Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Nataly A. Souza
- Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Rodolpho M. Albano
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Glauber Wagner
- Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Área de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade do Oeste de Santa Catarina, Joaçaba, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | - Alberto M. R. Davila
- Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Pólo de Biologia Computacional e Sistemas, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Alexandre A. Peixoto
- Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- * E-mail:
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LaFlamme BA, Ravi Ram K, Wolfner MF. The Drosophila melanogaster seminal fluid protease "seminase" regulates proteolytic and post-mating reproductive processes. PLoS Genet 2012; 8:e1002435. [PMID: 22253601 PMCID: PMC3257295 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1002435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2011] [Accepted: 11/09/2011] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Proteases and protease inhibitors have been identified in the ejaculates of animal taxa ranging from invertebrates to mammals and form a major protein class among Drosophila melanogaster seminal fluid proteins (SFPs). Other than a single protease cascade in mammals that regulates seminal clot liquefaction, no proteolytic cascades (i.e. pathways with at least two proteases acting in sequence) have been identified in seminal fluids. In Drosophila, SFPs are transferred to females during mating and, together with sperm, are necessary for the many post-mating responses elicited in females. Though several SFPs are proteolytically cleaved either during or after mating, virtually nothing is known about the proteases involved in these cleavage events or the physiological consequences of proteolytic activity in the seminal fluid on the female. Here, we present evidence that a protease cascade acts in the seminal fluid of Drosophila during and after mating. Using RNAi to knock down expression of the SFP CG10586, a predicted serine protease, we show that it acts upstream of the SFP CG11864, a predicted astacin protease, to process SFPs involved in ovulation and sperm entry into storage. We also show that knockdown of CG10586 leads to lower levels of egg laying, higher rates of sexual receptivity to subsequent males, and abnormal sperm usage patterns, processes that are independent of CG11864. The long-term phenotypes of females mated to CG10586 knockdown males are similar to those of females that fail to store sex peptide, an important elicitor of long-term post-mating responses, and indicate a role for CG10586 in regulating sex peptide. These results point to an important role for proteolysis among insect SFPs and suggest that protease cascades may be a mechanism for precise temporal regulation of multiple post-mating responses in females. Proteases can destroy, activate, or otherwise modulate the function of other proteins. In seminal fluid, many proteins have to be activated or degraded after mating; proteolysis is an effective way to accomplish this because seminal fluid proteins act outside of the cell, where most other regulatory processes cannot be used. Despite the presence of proteases in the seminal fluid of many animals, nearly nothing is known about the kinds of processes they regulate. Here, we present evidence of a protease cascade in the seminal fluid of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. This cascade involves two proteases that are activated during mating. Once in the female, the downstream protease acts on two other proteins that are important for ovulation and sperm storage. Interestingly, the protease at the top of the cascade, CG10586, is also required for other female post-mating responses, including egg laying and sperm usage, independent of the second protease. Thus, CG10586 might be a general regulatory switch used by the male to quickly activate many female responses after mating.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brooke A. LaFlamme
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - K. Ravi Ram
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
- Embryotoxicology Division, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research–Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Lucknow, India
| | - Mariana F. Wolfner
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Wong A, Turchin M, Wolfner MF, Aquadro CF. Temporally variable selection on proteolysis-related reproductive tract proteins in Drosophila. Mol Biol Evol 2011; 29:229-38. [PMID: 21940639 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msr197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In order to gain further insight into the processes underlying rapid reproductive protein evolution, we have conducted a population genetic survey of 44 reproductive tract-expressed proteases, protease inhibitors, and targets of proteolysis in Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila simulans. Our findings suggest that positive selection on this group of genes is temporally heterogeneous, with different patterns of selection inferred using tests sensitive at different time scales. Such variation in the strength and targets of selection through time may be expected under models of sexual conflict and/or host-pathogen interaction. Moreover, available functional information concerning the genes that show evidence of selection suggests that both sexual selection and immune processes have been important in the evolutionary history of this group of molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Wong
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, USA.
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South A, Sirot LK, Lewis SM. Identification of predicted seminal fluid proteins in Tribolium castaneum. INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2011; 20:447-456. [PMID: 21689183 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2583.2011.01083.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
In several insect species, seminal fluid proteins (SFPs) have been demonstrated to be key regulators of male and female fitness through their ability to alter female physiology and behaviour. Tribolium castaneum is an economically important pest species and a model system for sexual selection research, but little is known about SFPs in this insect. To create a foundation for the study of T. castaneum SFPs, we used mass spectrometry to identify putative SFPs by comparing proteins detected in the male reproductive glands with those found in the reproductive tracts of virgin and mated females. Fourteen putative SFPs, thirteen with male biased expression, were identified through this approach. We also used reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) to examine expression levels across different tissue types. We found strongly male-biased expression in 13 genes, nine of which were expressed only in male accessory gland tissue. This represents the first proteomic-based method of identifying putative SFPs in any coleopteran species, and is the first study in this species to identify putative SFPs that are likely transferred to the female. This work could lead to functional analyses of the role of SFPs in sexual selection, sexual conflict and potential control of a pest species.
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Affiliation(s)
- A South
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA.
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Song G, Hsu CH, Riemer C, Zhang Y, Kim HL, Hoffmann F, Zhang L, Hardison RC, Green ED, Miller W. Conversion events in gene clusters. BMC Evol Biol 2011; 11:226. [PMID: 21798034 PMCID: PMC3161012 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-11-226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2011] [Accepted: 07/28/2011] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Gene clusters containing multiple similar genomic regions in close proximity are of great interest for biomedical studies because of their associations with inherited diseases. However, such regions are difficult to analyze due to their structural complexity and their complicated evolutionary histories, reflecting a variety of large-scale mutational events. In particular, conversion events can mislead inferences about the relationships among these regions, as traced by traditional methods such as construction of phylogenetic trees or multi-species alignments. RESULTS To correct the distorted information generated by such methods, we have developed an automated pipeline called CHAP (Cluster History Analysis Package) for detecting conversion events. We used this pipeline to analyze the conversion events that affected two well-studied gene clusters (α-globin and β-globin) and three gene clusters for which comparative sequence data were generated from seven primate species: CCL (chemokine ligand), IFN (interferon), and CYP2abf (part of cytochrome P450 family 2). CHAP is freely available at http://www.bx.psu.edu/miller_lab. CONCLUSIONS These studies reveal the value of characterizing conversion events in the context of studying gene clusters in complex genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giltae Song
- Center for Comparative Genomics and Bioinformatics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 USA.
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Towards a semen proteome of the dengue vector mosquito: protein identification and potential functions. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2011; 5:e989. [PMID: 21423647 PMCID: PMC3057948 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0000989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2010] [Accepted: 02/15/2011] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background No commercially licensed vaccine or treatment is available for dengue fever,
a potentially lethal infection that impacts millions of lives annually. New
tools that target mosquito control may reduce vector populations and break
the cycle of dengue transmission. Male mosquito seminal fluid proteins
(Sfps) are one such target since these proteins, in aggregate, modulate the
reproduction and feeding patterns of the dengue vector, Aedes
aegypti. As an initial step in identifying new targets for
dengue vector control, we sought to identify the suite of proteins that
comprise the Ae. aegypti ejaculate and determine which are
transferred to females during mating. Methodology and Principal Findings Using a stable-isotope labeling method coupled with proteomics to distinguish
male- and female-derived proteins, we identified Sfps and sperm proteins
transferred from males to females. Sfps were distinguished from sperm
proteins by comparing the transferred proteins to sperm-enriched samples
derived from testes and seminal vesicles. We identified 93 male-derived Sfps
and 52 predicted sperm proteins that are transferred to females during
mating. The Sfp protein classes we detected suggest roles in protein
activation/inactivation, sperm utilization, and ecdysteroidogenesis. We also
discovered that several predicted membrane-bound and intracellular proteins
are transferred to females in the seminal fluids, supporting the hypothesis
that Ae. aegypti Sfps are released from the accessory gland
cells through apocrine secretion, as occurs in mammals. Many of the
Ae. aegypti predicted sperm proteins were homologous to
Drosophila melanogaster sperm proteins, suggesting
conservation of their sperm-related function across Diptera. Conclusion and Significance This is the first study to directly identify Sfps transferred from male
Ae. aegypti to females. Our data lay the groundwork for
future functional analyses to identify individual seminal proteins that may
trigger female post-mating changes (e.g., in feeding patterns and egg
production). Therefore, identification of these proteins may lead to new
approaches for manipulating the reproductive output and vectorial capacity
of Ae. aegypti. Dengue is a potentially lethal infection that impacts millions of humans
annually. This disease is caused by viruses transmitted by infected female
Aedes aegypti mosquitoes during blood feeding. No
commercial vaccine or treatment is available for dengue infection. One way to
break the disease transmission cycle is to develop new tools to reduce dengue
vector populations. Seminal fluid proteins (Sfps) produced in the reproductive
glands of male mosquitoes and transferred to females in the ejaculate during
mating could be the target of such a tool. In related insects, Sfps modulate
female reproduction and feeding patterns. Here we report 145 proteins that are
transferred to females in the Ae. aegypti ejaculate. The
proteins, which include Sfps and sperm proteins, fall into biochemical classes
that suggest important potential roles in mated females. Of particular interest
are proteins that could play roles in fertility and hormonal activity (including
pathways involved in egg development and utilization of the blood meal). Our
results lay important groundwork for new control strategies by identifying
candidate proteins that may alter the reproductive biology or blood-feeding
patterns of female Ae. aegypti and ultimately reduce the global
burden of dengue.
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Tiwari AK, Pragya P, Ravi Ram K, Chowdhuri DK. Environmental chemical mediated male reproductive toxicity: Drosophila melanogaster as an alternate animal model. Theriogenology 2011; 76:197-216. [PMID: 21356551 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2010.12.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2010] [Revised: 12/28/2010] [Accepted: 12/31/2010] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Industrialization and indiscriminate use of agrochemicals have increased the human health risk. Recent epidemiological studies raised a concern for male reproduction given their observations of reduced sperm counts and altered semen quality. Interestingly, environmental factors that include various metals, pesticides and their metabolites have been causally linked to such adversities by their presence in the semen at levels that correlate to infertility. The epidemiological observations were further supported by studies in animal models involving various chemicals. Therefore, in this review, we focused on male reproductive toxicity and the adverse effects of different environmental chemicals on male reproduction. However, it is beyond the scope of this review to provide a detailed appraisal of all of the environmental chemicals that have been associated with reproductive toxicity in animals. Here, we provided the evidence for reproductive adversities of some commonly encountered chemicals (pesticides/metals) in the environment. In view of the recent thrust for an alternate to animal models in research, we subsequently discussed the contributions of Drosophila melanogaster as an alternate animal model for quick screening of toxicants for their reproductive toxicity potential. Finally, we emphasized the genetic and molecular tools offered by Drosophila for understanding the mechanisms underlying the male reproductive toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- A K Tiwari
- Embryotoxicology Division, Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, M.G. Marg, Lucknow-226001, India
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Avila FW, Sirot LK, LaFlamme BA, Rubinstein CD, Wolfner MF. Insect seminal fluid proteins: identification and function. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2011; 56:21-40. [PMID: 20868282 PMCID: PMC3925971 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-120709-144823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 575] [Impact Index Per Article: 44.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Seminal fluid proteins (SFPs) produced in reproductive tract tissues of male insects and transferred to females during mating induce numerous physiological and behavioral postmating changes in females. These changes include decreasing receptivity to remating; affecting sperm storage parameters; increasing egg production; and modulating sperm competition, feeding behaviors, and mating plug formation. In addition, SFPs also have antimicrobial functions and induce expression of antimicrobial peptides in at least some insects. Here, we review recent identification of insect SFPs and discuss the multiple roles these proteins play in the postmating processes of female insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank W. Avila
- Dept. of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853
| | - Laura K. Sirot
- Dept. of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853
| | | | | | - Mariana F. Wolfner
- Dept. of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853
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