On the Mechanism of Heterosis. I. Metabolic Capacity of Different Races of Drosophila melanogaster for Egg Production

1946 ◽  
Vol 80 (788) ◽  
pp. 149-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
John W. Gowen ◽  
Leslie E. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Metabolic Capacity

A NOTE ON KIDWELL'S CHROMOSOMAL ANALYSIS OF EGG PRODUCTION AND CHAETA NUMBER IN DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER

1970 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 356-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Glaser ◽  
J. F. Kldwell
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Genetic Variance ◽  
Chromosomal Analysis ◽  
Epistatic Variance

An earlier paper (Kidwell, J.F., 1969, Can. J. Genet. Cytol 11: 547-557) has described partitioning of the genetic variance of egg production and chaeta number in Drosophila melanogaster, assuming equal frequencies of all chromosomes. Kidwell's data were analyzed again, and the new analyses were based on several panmictic populations with varying frequencies for each genotype. The importances of the several portions of the genetic variance were estimated for each population; several cases are presented. In most cases the ranges were substantial, especially those of the dominance and four-factor epistatic variances. The results of the present study generally support Kidwell's previous conclusions and suggest that epistatic variance should not routinely be assumed negligible.

scholarly journals TheDrosophila melanogasterGut Microbiota Provisions Thiamine to Its Host

mBio ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. e00155-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
David R. Sannino ◽  
Adam J. Dobson ◽  
Katie Edwards ◽  
Esther R. Angert ◽  
Nicolas Buchon
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Larval Growth ◽  
Auxotrophic Mutant ◽  
Close Relative ◽  
Vitamin B ◽  
Substantial Impact ◽  
Host Health ◽  
Host Development ◽  
Different Levels

ABSTRACTThe microbiota ofDrosophila melanogasterhas a substantial impact on host physiology and nutrition. Some effects may involve vitamin provisioning, but the relationships between microbe-derived vitamins, diet, and host health remain to be established systematically. We explored the contribution of microbiota in supplying sufficient dietary thiamine (vitamin B1) to supportD. melanogasterat different stages of its life cycle. Using chemically defined diets with different levels of available thiamine, we found that the interaction of thiamine concentration and microbiota did not affect the longevity of adultD. melanogaster. Likewise, this interplay did not have an impact on egg production. However, we determined that thiamine availability has a large impact on offspring development, as axenic offspring were unable to develop on a thiamine-free diet. Offspring survived on the diet only when the microbiota was present or added back, demonstrating that the microbiota was able to provide enough thiamine to support host development. Through gnotobiotic studies, we determined thatAcetobacter pomorum, a common member of the microbiota, was able to rescue development of larvae raised on the no-thiamine diet. Further, it was the only microbiota member that produced measurable amounts of thiamine when grown on the thiamine-free fly medium. Its close relativeAcetobacter pasteurianusalso rescued larvae; however, a thiamine auxotrophic mutant strain was unable to support larval growth and development. The results demonstrate that theD. melanogastermicrobiota functions to provision thiamine to its host in a low-thiamine environment.IMPORTANCEThere has been a long-standing assumption that the microbiota of animals provides their hosts with essential B vitamins; however, there is not a wealth of empirical evidence supporting this idea, especially for vitamin B1(thiamine). To determine whether this assumption is true, we usedDrosophila melanogasterand chemically defined diets with different thiamine concentrations as a model. We found that the microbiota does provide thiamine to its host, enough to allow the development of flies on a thiamine-free diet. The power of theDrosophila-microbiota system allowed us to determine that one microbiota member in particular,Acetobacter pomorum, is responsible for the thiamine provisioning. Thereby, our study verifies this long-standing hypothesis. Finally, the methods used in this work are applicable for interrogating the underpinnings of other aspects of the tripartite interaction between diet, host, and microbiota.

scholarly journals Endocrine network essential for reproductive success in Drosophila melanogaster

2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (19) ◽  
pp. E3849-E3858 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Meiselman ◽  
Sang Soo Lee ◽  
Raymond-Tan Tran ◽  
Hongjiu Dai ◽  
Yike Ding ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Juvenile Hormone ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Juvenile Stages ◽  
Inka Cells ◽  
Ecdysis Triggering Hormone

Ecdysis-triggering hormone (ETH) was originally discovered and characterized as a molt termination signal in insects through its regulation of the ecdysis sequence. Here we report that ETH persists in adult Drosophila melanogaster, where it functions as an obligatory allatotropin to promote juvenile hormone (JH) production and reproduction. ETH signaling deficits lead to sharply reduced JH levels and consequent reductions of ovary size, egg production, and yolk deposition in mature oocytes. Expression of ETH and ETH receptor genes is in turn dependent on ecdysone (20E). Furthermore, 20E receptor knockdown specifically in Inka cells reduces fecundity. Our findings indicate that the canonical developmental roles of 20E, ETH, and JH during juvenile stages are repurposed to function as an endocrine network essential for reproductive success.

EFFECT OF THE SINGED LOCUS ON THE EGG PRODUCTION CURVE OF DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER

1981 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 327-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gonzalo Alvarez ◽  
Antonio Fontdevila
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Theoretical Model ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Clear Effect ◽  
Total Lifetime ◽  
Female Genotype ◽  
Production Curve

Egg production curves of virgin and mated females of several genotypes at the singed locus of Drosophila melanogaster have been studied. Fitz-Earle's theoretical model (1971) for characterizing daily egg production has been used. In general, the model gave good fit to the experimental data. A clear effect of the female genotype is detected on the following parameters and derivations of the model: α, rate of decrease in egg production; tq, day of cessation of egg-laying, N(tmax), maximum egg production; and T(to,tq), total lifetime egg production. Homozygous snqr females present higher values of α and lower values of tq, N(tmax), and T(to,tq) than heterozygous and wild-type homozygous females. Egg-to-larva viability along female lifetime related with the different physiological stages of the egg-laying curve (increasing, maximum, and decreasing parts) has been also studied. Homozygous snqr females show low viability and decreasing with age compared to wild-type females. In some cases, different physiological stages of the egg production curve show characteristic egg-to-larva viability values.

scholarly journals Changes in Female Drosophila Sleep following Mating Are Mediated by SPSN-SAG Neurons

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 551-567 ◽  
Author(s):  
David S Garbe ◽  
Abigail S Vigderman ◽  
Emilia Moscato ◽  
Abigail E. Dove ◽  
Christopher G. Vecsey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Behavioral Responses ◽  
Mating Status ◽  
Peptide Receptor ◽  
Dietary Preference ◽  
Sex Peptide ◽  
Central Brain ◽  
Sleep Sex ◽  
Sensorimotor Processes

Female Drosophila melanogaster, like many other organisms, exhibit different behavioral repertoires after mating with a male. These postmating responses (PMRs) include increased egg production and laying, increased rejection behavior (avoiding further male advances), decreased longevity, altered gustation and decreased sleep. Sex Peptide (SP), a protein transferred from the male during copulation, is largely responsible for many of these behavioral responses, and acts through a specific circuit to induce rejection behavior and alter dietary preference. However, less is known about the mechanisms and neurons that influence sleep in mated females. In this study, we investigated postmating changes in female sleep across strains and ages and on different media, and report that these changes are robust and relatively consistent under a variety of conditions. We find that female sleep is reduced by male-derived SP acting through the canonical sex peptide receptor (SPR) within the same neurons responsible for altering other PMRs. This circuit includes the SPSN-SAG neurons, whose silencing by DREADD induces postmating behaviors including sleep. Our data are consistent with the idea that mating status is communicated to the central brain through a common circuit that diverges in higher brain centers to modify a collection of postmating sensorimotor processes.

scholarly journals Interactions between the microbiome and mating influence the female’s transcriptional profile in Drosophila melanogaster

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sofie Y. N. Delbare ◽  
Yasir H. Ahmed-Braimah ◽  
Mariana F. Wolfner ◽  
Andrew G. Clark
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Seminal Fluid ◽  
Transcript Abundance ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Transcriptional Profile ◽  
Seminal Fluid Proteins ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
Immunity Genes ◽  
Neuronal Functions

Abstract Drosophila melanogaster females undergo a variety of post-mating changes that influence their activity, feeding behavior, metabolism, egg production and gene expression. These changes are induced either by mating itself or by sperm or seminal fluid proteins. In addition, studies have shown that axenic females—those lacking a microbiome—have altered fecundity compared to females with a microbiome, and that the microbiome of the female’s mate can influence reproductive success. However, the extent to which post-mating changes in transcript abundance are affected by microbiome state is not well-characterized. Here we investigated fecundity and the post-mating transcript abundance profile of axenic or control females after mating with either axenic or control males. We observed interactions between the female’s microbiome and her mating status: transcripts of genes involved in reproduction and genes with neuronal functions were differentially abundant depending on the females’ microbiome status, but only in mated females. In addition, immunity genes showed varied responses to either the microbiome, mating, or a combination of those two factors. We further observed that the male’s microbiome status influences the fecundity of both control and axenic females, while only influencing the transcriptional profile of axenic females. Our results indicate that the microbiome plays a vital role in the post-mating switch of the female’s transcriptome.

EFFECTS OF THE ANTIFEEDING COMPOUND AC 24055 (4′-(3,3-DIMETHYL-1-TRIAZENO) ACETANILIDE) ON LARVAE AND ADULTS OF DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER (DIPTERA: DROSOPHILIDAE)

1974 ◽  
Vol 106 (10) ◽  
pp. 1009-1014 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. David ◽  
S. R. Loschiavo
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Life Span ◽  
Larval Development ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Larval Mortality ◽  
Malpighian Tubules ◽  
Egg Hatchability ◽  
Males And Females

AbstractThe antifeeding compound AC 24055 (4′-(3,3-dimethyl-1-triazeno) acetanilide) was added to the diet of Drosophila melanogaster at several concentrations. Larval mortality and the duration of larval development increased significantly with increasing concentration from 125 to 625 parts per million (p.p.m.), and these effects were the same in males and females. Within this range of concentrations the weight of recently emerged adults declined with increasing concentration, the loss being greater for females than males. Egg production declined with increased concentration from 200 to 1000 p.p.m., particularly during the second week of egg production. Egg hatchability was not affected at 200 p.p.m., but from 400 to 1000 p.p.m. it declined rapidly from the second to the sixth day; with continued exposure, fertility was partly restored. The life span of adults decreased as the concentration increased from 500 to 1500 p.p.m. Concretions were observed in the Malpighian tubules of females reared in food containing 400 p.p.m. or more of the compound, but not in males.

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