scholarly journals Male courtship song drives escape responses that are suppressed for successful mating

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eliane Arez ◽  
Cecilia Mezzera ◽  
Ricardo M. Neto-Silva ◽  
Márcia M. Aranha ◽  
Sophie Dias ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escape Response ◽  
Walking Speed ◽  
Genetic Manipulation ◽  
Courtship Song ◽  
Male Courtship ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Crucial Component ◽  
Escape Responses ◽  
Sexually Mature

AbstractPersuasion is a crucial component of the courtship ritual needed to overcome contact aversion. In fruit flies, it is well established that the male courtship song prompts receptivity in female flies, in part by causing sexually mature females to slow down and pause, allowing copulation. Whether the above receptivity behaviours require the suppression of contact avoidance or escape remains unknown. Here we show, through genetic manipulation of neurons we identified as required for female receptivity, that male song induces avoidance/escape responses that are suppressed in wild type flies. First, we show that silencing 70A09 neurons leads to an increase in escape, as females increase their walking speed during courtship together with an increase in jumping and a reduction in pausing. The increase in escape response is specific to courtship, as escape to a looming threat is not intensified. Activation of 70A09 neurons leads to pausing, confirming the role of these neurons in escape modulation. Finally, we show that the escape displays by the female result from the presence of a courting male and more specifically from the song produced by a courting male. Our results suggest that courtship song has a dual role, promoting both escape and pause in females and that escape is suppressed by the activity of 70A09 neurons, allowing mating to occur.

Genetic Manipulation of Key Photosynthetic Enzymes in the C4 Plant Flaveria bidentis

1997 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 477 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert T. Furbank ◽  
Julie A. Chitty ◽  
Colin L.D. Jenkins ◽  
William C. Taylor ◽  
Stephen J. Trevanion ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Enzyme Activity ◽  
Malate Dehydrogenase ◽  
Genetic Manipulation ◽  
Photosynthetic Performance ◽  
Covalent Modification ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Bisphosphate Carboxylase ◽  
Photosynthetic Enzymes ◽  
Flaveria Bidentis

The NADP-malic enzyme type C4 dicot Flaveria bidentis (L.) Kuntze was transformed with antisense and cosense gene constructs that resulted in specific decreases in single photosynthetic enzymes. The enzymes targeted were ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase [EC 4.1.1.39] (Rubisco), pyruvate, Pi dikinase [EC 2.7.9.1] (PPDK) and NADP malate dehydrogenase [EC 1.1.1.82] (NADP-MDH). These enzymes were chosen as targets because they have low activity compared to photosynthetic rates (Rubisco), are subject to complex covalent regulation (NADP-MDH), or both (PPDK). T1 progeny of a number of lines of these transformants were examined for the effects of these gene constructs on enzyme levels and photosynthetic performance. Rubisco antisense transformants expressing between 15 and 100% of wild-type enzyme activity were obtained. Pyruvate, Pi dikinase antisense lines were obtained with 40–100% wild-type levels. NADP malate dehydrogenase sense constructs caused a co-suppression of enzyme activity with some lines containing less than 2% of wild- type activity. Under saturating illumination, the control coefficients for these enzymes were determined to be up to 0.7 for Rubisco, 0.2–0.3 for PPDK and effectively zero for NADP-MDH. The implications of these observations for the regulation of photosynthetic flux and metabolism in C4 plants and the role of regulation by covalent modification are discussed.

scholarly journals Oestrogen at the neonatal stage is critical for the reproductive ability of male mice as revealed by supplementation with 17beta-oestradiol to aromatase gene (Cyp19) knockout mice

2001 ◽  
Vol 168 (3) ◽  
pp. 455-463 ◽  
Author(s):  
K Toda ◽  
T Okada ◽  
K Takeda ◽  
S Akira ◽  
T Saibara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mating Behaviour ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Targeted Disruption ◽  
Subcutaneous Injections ◽  
Reproductive Ability ◽  
Neonatal Life ◽  
Neonatal Stage ◽  
Sexually Mature

Aromatase P450 (CYP19) is an enzyme responsible for the conversion of androgens to oestrogens. We generated CYP19 knockout (ArKO) mice by targeted disruption of Cyp19 and studied the role of oestrogens in male reproductive ability. Approximately 85% of ArKO males were unable to sire offspring. However, no obvious difference was found in testicular and epididymal weights, numbers of sperm in the epididymis or the ability of sperm to fertilize eggs in vitro between wild-type and ArKO males. An examination of mating behaviour demonstrated that ArKO males showed an impairment in mounting behaviour against sexually mature females. The inability of more than 90% of ArKO males to sire offspring was reversed by repeated subcutaneous injections of 17beta-oestradiol when initiated on the day of birth. The effects of 17beta-oestradiol on reproduction were concentration dependent and evident when supplementation was initiated on day 7, but not on day 15 after birth. These findings suggest that oestrogens acting during neonatal life are required for normal mating behaviour in adulthood.

scholarly journals HMW1 Is Required for Cytadhesin P1 Trafficking to the Attachment Organelle in Mycoplasma pneumoniae

1998 ◽  
Vol 180 (5) ◽  
pp. 1270-1276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tae-Wook Hahn ◽  
Melisa J. Willby ◽  
Duncan C. Krause
Keyword(s):  
Mycoplasma Pneumoniae ◽  
Genetic Manipulation ◽  
Full Length ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Functional Importance ◽  
Normal Morphology ◽  
Terminal Domain ◽  
Terminal Structure

ABSTRACT Mycoplasma pneumoniae proteins HMW1-HMW3 collectively are essential for cytadherence, but the function or requirement for each has not been defined. Cytadherence mutant M6 lacks HMW1 because of a frameshift in hmw1 and produces a truncated adherence-associated protein P30 because of a deletion at the 3′ end ofp30. Genetic manipulation of this mutant was used to evaluate the role of HMW1 in cytadherence. Mutant M6 was transformed with a recombinant transposon containing a wild-type p30allele. Transformants synthesized both truncated and full-length P30, from the resident and recombinant alleles, respectively. However, these transformants remained hemadsorption negative, suggesting that HMW1 is required for cytadherence. Wild-type M. pneumoniaecells are generally elongated, tapering to form the attachment organelle at one end of the cell. The cytadhesin protein P1 is normally densely clustered on the mycoplasma surface at this differentiated terminal structure. However, both mutant M6 and M6 transformed with recombinant p30 had a striking ovoid morphology with no tapering at the tip structure, making the attachment organelle indistinguishable. Furthermore, protein P1 was randomly distributed on the mycoplasma surface rather than clustered at a polar location. In contrast, mutant M6 transformed with a recombinant transposon expressing the wild-type hmw1 allele exhibited a near-normal morphology and localized P1 to the attachment organelle. Significantly, M6 transformed with an hmw1 gene truncated slightly at the 3′ end failed to restore proper morphology or P1 localization to the attachment organelle, suggesting a functional importance to the C-terminal domain of HMW1.

The Role of Male Courtship Song in Species Recognition in Drosophila montana

2005 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 257-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Saarikettu ◽  
J. O. Liimatainen ◽  
A. Hoikkala
Keyword(s):  
Species Recognition ◽  
Courtship Song ◽  
Male Courtship ◽  
Drosophila Montana

Behavioral and Cytogenetic Analysis of the cacophony Courtship Song Mutant and Interacting Genetic Variants in Drosophila melanogaster

Genetics ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 115 (3) ◽  
pp. 461-475
Author(s):  
Shankar J Kulkarni ◽  
Jeffrey C Hall
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Locomotor Activity ◽  
Genetic Variants ◽  
Distal Part ◽  
Courtship Song ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Lethal Mutations ◽  
Complex Interactions ◽  
Chromosomal Breakpoints

ABSTRACT The courtship song of a Drosophila melanogaster male consists of tone pulses interspersed with humming sounds. An X chromosomal mutation, cacophony (cac), causes the production of polycyclic pulses readily distinguishable from those in wild type, which are mono- or bicyclic. Yet, courtship hums and flight wing beats are normal in this mutant, suggesting a specific role of the cac gene in the neural program underlying one particular feature of the fly's wing vibrations. A precise cytogenetic localization of cac is presented; this was obtained by uncovering the song abnormality with deletions that are missing all or the distal part of region 11A; the flies tested were diplo-X adults that had been turned into males by the transformer mutation. Duplications including distal 11A covered cac. The possibility of behavioral specificity for cac's effects was examined by screening a variety of sexual and nonsexual behaviors; these experiments included tests of flies in which the mutation was uncovered by a small deletion. We conclude that cac causes only a limited array of well-defined defects: longer and louder tone pulses in the song and depressed locomotor activity. Further complementation tests involving cac and other closely linked genetic variants-the night-blind-A (nbA) visual mutation, l(1) L13 lethal mutations, and a series of X chromosomal breakpoints-suggested complex interactions among these factors: the breakpoints uncover all three types of mutations; cac and nbA appear to be alleles of l(1)L13, whereas the two behavioral mutations complement each other

The role of TRAF3IP2 in obesity-associated vascular insulin resistance and dysfunction

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Zachary I. Grunewald
Keyword(s):  
Insulin Resistance ◽  
Endothelial Cells ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Genetic Manipulation ◽  
Vascular Dysfunction ◽  
Reactive Hyperemia ◽  
Causal Role ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Vascular Control

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Insulin resistance in the vasculature is a characteristic feature of obesity and contributes to the pathogenesis of vascular dysfunction and disease. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying obesity-associated vascular insulin resistance and dysfunction remain poorly understood. We hypothesized that TRAF3 Interacting Protein 2 (TRAF3IP2), a pro-inflammatory adaptor molecule known to activate pathological stress pathways and implicated in cardiovascular disease, plays a causal role in obesity-associated vascular insulin resistance and dysfunction. We tested this hypothesis by employing genetic-manipulation in endothelial cells in vitro and in isolated arteries ex vivo, and by using a mouse model of TRAF3IP2 ablation and diet-induced obesity in vivo. We show that forced expression of TRAF3IP2 blunts insulin signaling in endothelial cells and diminishes endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation in isolated aortic rings. Further, 16 weeks of high fructose/high sucrose (HFHS) feeding impaired glucose tolerance, aortic insulin-induced vasorelaxation, and hindlimb postocclusive reactive hyperemia, while increasing blood pressure and arterial stiffness in wild-type male mice. Notably, TRAF3IP2 gene ablation protected mice against such metabolic and vascular defects caused by HFHS feeding. Interestingly, wild-type female mice expressed markedly reduced levels of TRAF3IP2 mRNA independent of diet and were protected against HFHS diet-induced vascular dysfunction. These data indicate that TRAF3IP2 plays a causal role in vascular insulin resistance and dysfunction. Specifically, the present findings highlight a sexual dimorphic role of TRAF3IP2 in vascular control and identify it as a promising therapeutic target in vasculometabolic derangements associated with obesity, particularly in males.

Differential Role of Components of the Fibrinolytic System in the Formation and Removal of Thrombus Induced by Endothelial Injury

1999 ◽  
Vol 81 (04) ◽  
pp. 601-604 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroyuki Matsuno ◽  
Osamu Kozawa ◽  
Masayuki Niwa ◽  
Shigeru Ueshima ◽  
Osamu Matsuo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plasminogen Activator ◽  
Thrombus Formation ◽  
Endothelial Injury ◽  
Fibrinolytic System ◽  
Tissue Type ◽  
Clot Lysis ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Type Plasminogen Activator ◽  
Pai 1

SummaryThe role of fibrinolytic system components in thrombus formation and removal in vivo was investigated in groups of six mice deficient in urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA), tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA), or plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) (u-PA-/-, t-PA-/- or PAI-1-/-, respectively) or of their wild type controls (u-PA+/+, t-PA+/+ or PAI-1+/+). Thrombus was induced in the murine carotid artery by endothelial injury using the photochemical reaction between rose bengal and green light (540 nm). Blood flow was continuously monitored for 90 min on day 0 and for 20 min on days 1, 2 and 3. The times to occlusion after the initiation of endothelial injury in u-PA+/+, t-PA+/+ or PAI-1+/+ mice were 9.4 ± 1.3, 9.8 ± 1.1 or 9.7 ± 1.6 min, respectively. u-PA-/- and t-PA-/- mice were indistinguishable from controls, whereas that of PAI-1-/- mice were significantly prolonged (18.4 ± 3.7 min). Occlusion persisted for the initial 90 min observation period in 10 of 18 wild type mice and was followed by cyclic reflow and reocclusion in the remaining 8 mice. At day 1, persistent occlusion was observed in 1 wild type mouse, 8 mice had cyclic reflow and reocclusion and 9 mice had persistent reflow. At day 2, all injured arteries had persistent reflow. Persistent occlusion for 90 min on day 0 was observed in 3 u-PA-/-, in all t-PA-/- mice at day 1 and in 2 of the t-PA-/-mice at day 2 (p <0.01 versus wild type mice). Persistent patency was observed in all PAI-1-/- mice at day 1 and in 5 of the 6 u-PA-/- mice at day 2 (both p <0.05 versus wild type mice). In conclusion, t-PA increases the rate of clot lysis after endothelial injury, PAI-1 reduces the time to occlusion and delays clot lysis, whereas u-PA has little effect on thrombus formation and spontaneous lysis.

scholarly journals Salicylic Acid Accumulation Controlled by LSD1 Is Essential in Triggering Cell Death in Response to Abiotic Stress

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 962
Author(s):  
Maciej Jerzy Bernacki ◽  
Anna Rusaczonek ◽  
Weronika Czarnocka ◽  
Stanisław Karpiński
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Salicylic Acid ◽  
Abiotic Stress ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Pr Genes ◽  
Genes Expression ◽  
Salicylic Acid Accumulation ◽  
Cell Death Phenotype ◽  
Insight Into

Salicylic acid (SA) is well known hormonal molecule involved in cell death regulation. In response to a broad range of environmental factors (e.g., high light, UV, pathogens attack), plants accumulate SA, which participates in cell death induction and spread in some foliar cells. LESION SIMULATING DISEASE 1 (LSD1) is one of the best-known cell death regulators in Arabidopsis thaliana. The lsd1 mutant, lacking functional LSD1 protein, accumulates SA and is conditionally susceptible to many biotic and abiotic stresses. In order to get more insight into the role of LSD1-dependent regulation of SA accumulation during cell death, we crossed the lsd1 with the sid2 mutant, caring mutation in ISOCHORISMATE SYNTHASE 1(ICS1) gene and having deregulated SA synthesis, and with plants expressing the bacterial nahG gene and thus decomposing SA to catechol. In response to UV A+B irradiation, the lsd1 mutant exhibited clear cell death phenotype, which was reversed in lsd1/sid2 and lsd1/NahG plants. The expression of PR-genes and the H2O2 content in UV-treated lsd1 were significantly higher when compared with the wild type. In contrast, lsd1/sid2 and lsd1/NahG plants demonstrated comparability with the wild-type level of PR-genes expression and H2O2. Our results demonstrate that SA accumulation is crucial for triggering cell death in lsd1, while the reduction of excessive SA accumulation may lead to a greater tolerance toward abiotic stress.

scholarly journals The Prognostic and Predictive Role of Somatic BRCA Mutations in Ovarian Cancer: Results from a Multicenter Cohort Study

Diagnostics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 565
Author(s):  
Angela Toss ◽  
Claudia Piombino ◽  
Elena Tenedini ◽  
Alessandra Bologna ◽  
Elisa Gasparini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ovarian Cancer ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Progression Free Survival ◽  
Molecular Testing ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Brca Mutations ◽  
Multicenter Cohort Study ◽  
Advanced Stages ◽  
Predictive Role

Previous research involving epithelial ovarian cancer patients showed that, compared to germline BRCA (gBRCA) mutations, somatic BRCA (sBRCA) mutations present a similar positive impact with regard to overall survival (OS) and platinum and PARP (poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase) inhibitor sensitivity. Nevertheless, molecular testing in these studies did not include copy number variation (CNV) analyses of BRCA genes. The aim of this study was to explore the prognostic and predictive role of sBRCA mutations as compared to gBRCA mutations in patients who were also tested for CNVs. Among the 158 patients included in the study, 17.09% of patients carried a pathogenic or likely pathogenic gBRCA variant and 15.19% of patients presented pathogenetic or likely pathogenic sBRCA variants and/or CNVs. Overall, 81.6% of the patients included in this study were diagnosed with a serous histotype, and 77.2% were in advanced stages. Among women diagnosed in advanced stages, gBRCA patients showed better progression-free survival and OS as compared to sBRCA and wild-type patients, whereas sBRCA patients did not show any advantage in outcome as compared to wild-type patients. In this study, the introduction of CNV analyses increased the detection rate of sBRCA mutations, and the resulting classification among gBRCA, sBRCA and wild-type patients was able to properly stratify the prognosis of OC patients. Particularly, sBRCA mutation patients failed to show any outcome advantage as compared to wild-type patients.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document