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Xiao L, Wang Q, Ni H, Xu T, Cai X, Dai T, Wang L, Song C, Li Y, Li F, Meng T, Sheng H, Yu X, Zeng Q, Guo P, Zhang X. Effects of temperature anomaly on sperm quality: A multi-center study of 33,234 men. Heliyon 2024; 10:e26765. [PMID: 38434420 PMCID: PMC10907732 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e26765] [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] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 02/17/2024] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Backgrounds Global fertility rates continue to decline and sperm quality is a prime factor affecting male fertility. Both extreme cold and heat have been demonstrated to be associated with decreased sperm quality, but no epidemiological studies have considered human adaptation to long-term temperature. Our aim was to conduct a multi-center retrospective cohort study to investigate exposure-response relationship between temperature anomaly (TA) that deviate from long-term climate patterns and sperm quality. Methods A total of 78,952 semen samples measured in 33,234 donors from 6 provincial human sperm banks in China were collected. This study considered heat and cold acclimatization to prolonged exposure in humans and explored the exposure-response relationship between TAs and sperm quality parameters (sperm concentrations, sperm count, progressive motility, progressive sperm count, total motility and total motile sperm count) during the hot and cold seasons, respectively. Linear mixed models and generalized linear models were built separately for specific centers to pool in a meta-analysis to obtain the pooled effect of TA on sperm quality, considering repeated measurements data structure and spatial heterogeneity. Results We identified an inverted U-shaped exposure-response relationship between TA and sperm quality during the hot season. Significant negative effect of anomalous cold on sperm quality during the hot season was found after additional adjustment for Body mass index, marital status and childbearing history. The heat-related TA in hot season was significantly negatively associated with sperm concentration, progressive sperm count and total motile sperm count (all P-values<0.05). After adjusting the relative humidity, the cold-related TA in cold season was negatively associated with the sperm total motility (P-values<0.05). Conclusions Our results suggest both heat-related and cold-related TAs are associated with decreased sperm quality. The findings highlight the importance of reducing exposure to anomalous temperatures to protect male fertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lina Xiao
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, 515041, China
| | - Qiling Wang
- National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Male Reproduction and Genetics, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Andrology, Guangdong Provincial Reproductive Science Institute (Guangdong Provincial Fertility Hospital), China
| | - Haobo Ni
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, 515041, China
| | - Ting Xu
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, 515041, China
| | - Xiaoyan Cai
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, 515041, China
| | - Tingting Dai
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, 515041, China
| | - Lingxi Wang
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, 515041, China
| | - Chunying Song
- Human Sperm Bank, The Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Shanxi Academy of Medical Sciences, Taiyuan, China
| | - Yushan Li
- Human Sperm Bank, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Fuping Li
- Human Sperm Bank, The Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children of Ministry of Education, West China Second University Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Tianqing Meng
- Reproductive Medicine Center, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Human Sperm Bank, Reproductive Medicine Center, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Huiqiang Sheng
- Human Sperm Bank, The Zhejiang Provincial Maternal and Child and Reproductive Health Care Center, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiaolin Yu
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, 515041, China
| | - Qinghui Zeng
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, 515041, China
| | - Pi Guo
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, 515041, China
| | - Xinzong Zhang
- National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Male Reproduction and Genetics, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Andrology, Guangdong Provincial Reproductive Science Institute (Guangdong Provincial Fertility Hospital), China
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Robben M, Ramesh B, Pau S, Meletis D, Luber J, Demuth J. scRNA-seq Reveals Novel Genetic Pathways and Sex Chromosome Regulation in Tribolium Spermatogenesis. Genome Biol Evol 2024; 16:evae059. [PMID: 38513111 PMCID: PMC10980526 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evae059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Spermatogenesis is critical to sexual reproduction yet evolves rapidly in many organisms. High-throughput single-cell transcriptomics promises unparalleled insight into this important process but understanding can be impeded in nonmodel systems by a lack of known genes that can reliably demarcate biologically meaningful cell populations. Tribolium castaneum, the red flour beetle, lacks known markers for spermatogenesis found in insect species like Drosophila melanogaster. Using single-cell sequencing data collected from adult beetle testes, we implement a strategy for elucidating biologically meaningful cell populations by using transient expression stage identification markers, weighted principal component clustering, and SNP-based haploid/diploid phasing. We identify populations that correspond to observable points in sperm differentiation and find species specific markers for each stage. Our results indicate that molecular pathways underlying spermatogenesis in Coleoptera are substantially diverged from those in Diptera. We also show that most genes on the X chromosome experience meiotic sex chromosome inactivation. Temporal expression of Drosophila MSL complex homologs coupled with spatial analysis of potential chromatin entry sites further suggests that the dosage compensation machinery may mediate escape from meiotic sex chromosome inactivation and postmeiotic reactivation of the X chromosome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Robben
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
| | - Balan Ramesh
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
| | - Shana Pau
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
| | - Demetra Meletis
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
| | - Jacob Luber
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
| | - Jeffery Demuth
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
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Baur J, Zwoinska M, Koppik M, Snook RR, Berger D. Heat stress reveals a fertility debt owing to postcopulatory sexual selection. Evol Lett 2024; 8:101-113. [PMID: 38370539 PMCID: PMC10872150 DOI: 10.1093/evlett/qrad007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Revised: 01/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Climates are changing rapidly, demanding equally rapid adaptation of natural populations. Whether sexual selection can aid such adaptation is under debate; while sexual selection should promote adaptation when individuals with high mating success are also best adapted to their local surroundings, the expression of sexually selected traits can incur costs. Here we asked what the demographic consequences of such costs may be once climates change to become harsher and the strength of natural selection increases. We first adopted a classic life history theory framework, incorporating a trade-off between reproduction and maintenance, and applied it to the male germline to generate formalized predictions for how an evolutionary history of strong postcopulatory sexual selection (sperm competition) may affect male fertility under acute adult heat stress. We then tested these predictions by assessing the thermal sensitivity of fertility (TSF) in replicated lineages of seed beetles maintained for 68 generations under three alternative mating regimes manipulating the opportunity for sexual and natural selection. In line with the theoretical predictions, we find that males evolving under strong sexual selection suffer from increased TSF. Interestingly, females from the regime under strong sexual selection, who experienced relaxed selection on their own reproductive effort, had high fertility in benign settings but suffered increased TSF, like their brothers. This implies that female fertility and TSF evolved through genetic correlation with reproductive traits sexually selected in males. Paternal but not maternal heat stress reduced offspring fertility with no evidence for adaptive transgenerational plasticity among heat-exposed offspring, indicating that the observed effects may compound over generations. Our results suggest that trade-offs between fertility and traits increasing success in postcopulatory sexual selection can be revealed in harsh environments. This can put polyandrous species under immediate risk during extreme heat waves expected under future climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Baur
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Division of Animal Ecology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Martyna Zwoinska
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Division of Animal Ecology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mareike Koppik
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Division of Animal Ecology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Zoology, Animal Ecology, Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Rhonda R Snook
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - David Berger
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Division of Animal Ecology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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Smith BR, Patch KB, Gupta A, Knoles EM, Unckless RL. The genetic basis of variation in immune defense against Lysinibacillus fusiformis infection in Drosophila melanogaster. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1010934. [PMID: 37549163 PMCID: PMC10434897 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2022] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The genetic causes of phenotypic variation often differ depending on the population examined, particularly if the populations were founded by relatively small numbers of genotypes. Similarly, the genetic causes of phenotypic variation among similar traits (resistance to different xenobiotic compounds or pathogens) may also be completely different or only partially overlapping. Differences in genetic causes for variation in the same trait among populations suggests context dependence for how selection acts on those traits. Similarities in the genetic causes of variation for different traits, on the other hand, suggests pleiotropy which would also influence how natural selection shapes variation in a trait. We characterized immune defense against a natural Drosophila pathogen, the Gram-positive bacterium Lysinibacillus fusiformis, in three different populations and found almost no overlap in the genetic architecture of variation in survival post infection. However, when comparing our results to a similar experiment with the fungal pathogen, B. bassiana, we found a convincing shared QTL peak for both pathogens. This peak contains the Bomanin cluster of Drosophila immune effectors. Loss of function mutants and RNAi knockdown experiments confirms a role of some of these genes in immune defense against both pathogens. This suggests that natural selection may act on the entire cluster of Bomanin genes (and the linked region under the QTL) or specific peptides for specific pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittny R. Smith
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, United States of America
| | - Kistie B. Patch
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, United States of America
| | - Anjali Gupta
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, United States of America
| | - Emma M. Knoles
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, United States of America
| | - Robert L. Unckless
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, United States of America
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Experimental evidence for stronger impacts of larval but not adult rearing temperature on female fertility and lifespan in a seed beetle. Evol Ecol 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-022-10227-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
AbstractTemperature impacts behaviour, physiology and life-history of many life forms. In many ectotherms, phenotypic plasticity within reproductive traits could act as a buffer allowing adaptation to continued global warming within biological limits. But there could be costs involved, potentially affecting adult reproductive performance and population growth. Empirical data on the expression of reproductive plasticity when different life stages are exposed is still lacking. Plasticity in key components of fitness (e.g., reproduction) can impose life-history trade-offs. Ectotherms are sensitive to temperature variation and the resulting thermal stress is known to impact reproduction. So far, research on reproductive plasticity to temperature variation in this species has focused on males. Here, I explore how rearing temperature impacted female reproduction and lifespan in the bruchid beetle Callosobruchus maculatus by exposing them to four constant temperatures (17 °C, 25 °C, 27 °C and 33 °C) during larval or adult stages. In these experiments, larval rearing cohorts (exposed to 17 °C, 25 °C, 27 °C and 33 °C, from egg to adulthood) were tested in a common garden setting at 27 °C and adult rearing cohorts, after having developed entirely at 27 °C, were exposed to four constant rearing temperatures (17 °C, 25 °C, 27 °C and 33 °C). I found stage-specific plasticity in all the traits measured here: fecundity, egg morphological dimensions (length and width), lifespan and egg hatching success (female fertility). Under different larval rearing conditions, fecundity and fertility was drastically reduced (by 51% and 42%) at 17 °C compared to controls (27 °C). Female lifespan was longest at 17 °C across both larval and adult rearing: by 36% and 55% compared to controls. Collectively, these results indicate that larval rearing temperature had greater reproductive impacts. Integrating both larval and adult rearing effects, I present evidence that female fertility is more sensitive during larval development compared to adult rearing temperature in this system.
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Lancaster LT, Fuller ZL, Berger D, Barbour MA, Jentoft S, Wellenreuther M. Understanding climate change response in the age of genomics. J Anim Ecol 2022; 91:1056-1063. [PMID: 35668551 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Zachary L Fuller
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - David Berger
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Matthew A Barbour
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sissel Jentoft
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Maren Wellenreuther
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited, Nelson, New Zealand.,School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
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Rodrigues LR, Zwoinska MK, Axel W Wiberg R, Snook RR. The genetic basis and adult reproductive consequences of developmental thermal plasticity. J Anim Ecol 2022; 91:1119-1134. [PMID: 35060127 PMCID: PMC9373847 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Increasing temperature and thermal variability generate profound selection on populations. Given the fast rate of environmental change, understanding the role of plasticity and genetic adaptation in response to increasing temperatures is critical. This may be especially true for thermal effects on reproductive traits in which thermal fertility limits at high temperatures may be lower than for survival traits. Consequences of changing environments during development on adult phenotypes may be particularly problematic for core traits such as reproduction that begin early in development. Here we examine the consequences of developmental thermal plasticity on subsequent adult reproductive traits and its genetic basis. We used a panel of Drosophila melanogaster (the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel; DGRP) in which male fertility performance was previously defined as either showing relatively little (status = ‘high’‐performing lines) or substantial (‘low’‐performing lines) decline when exposed to increasing developmental temperatures. We used a thermal reaction norm approach to quantify variation in the consequences of developmental thermal plasticity on multiple adult reproductive traits, including sex‐specific responses, and to identify candidate genes underlying such variation. Developmental thermal stress impacted the means and thermal reaction norms of all reproductive traits except offspring sex ratio. Mating success declined as temperature increased with no difference between high and low lines, whereas increasing temperature resulted in declines for both male and female fertility and productivity but depended on line status. Fertility and offspring number were positively correlated within and between the sexes across lines, but males were more affected than females. We identified 933 SNPs with significant evolved genetic differentiation between high and low lines. In all, 54 of these lie within genomic windows of overall high differentiation, have significant effects of genotype on the male thermal reaction norm for productivity and are associated with 16 genes enriched for phenotypes affecting reproduction, stress responses and autophagy in Drosophila and other organisms. Our results illustrate considerable plasticity in male thermal limits on several reproductive traits following development at high temperature, and we identify differentiated loci with relevant phenotypic effects that may contribute to this population variation. While our work is on a single population, phenotypic results align with an increasing number of studies demonstrating the potential for stronger selection of thermal stress on reproductive traits, particularly in males. Such large fitness costs may have both short‐ and long‐term consequences for the evolution of populations in response to a warming world.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Rhonda R Snook
- Department of Zoology Stockholm University Stockholm Sweden
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