Selective Loss of Sperm Bearing a Compound Chromosome in the Drosophila Female

Genetics ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 143 (4) ◽  
pp. 1629-1642 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abby F Dernburg ◽  
Douglas R Daily ◽  
Karen J Yook ◽  
John A Corbin ◽  
John W Sedat ◽  
...  

Abstract The Drosophila compound entire second chromosome, C(2)EN, displays paternal transmission well below Mendelian expectations (Novitski  et al. 1981). Because C(2)EN stocks also show higher-than-expected rates of zygotic lethality, it was proposed that this reduced paternal inheritance might be wholly or partially due to postfertilization events. Efforts to investigate this phenomenon have been hampered because the progeny of crosses between C(2)EN-bearing individuals and those with normal karyotypes die during embryogenesis. We have circumvented this obstacle by employing fluorescence in situ hybridization to directly karyotype early embryos from crosses involving C(2)EN-bearing individuals. This analysis reveals that the distortion in paternal transmission is established before fertilization. Moreover, measurement of the sperm ratios within both the male and female reproductive organs demonstrates that C(2)EN-bearing sperm are selectively lost after sperm transfer to the female and before storage of sperm in the seminal receptacles and spermathecae. Our results are consistent with a model of meiotic drive in which aberrations occuring early in meiosis lead ultimately to sperm dysfunction.

1859 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 600-601

The author briefly described the male and female reproductive organs of Comatula. When the ova are mature, and before impregnation, they are protruded and remain hanging from the ovarian orifice, entangled in the areolar tissue of the everted ovary. In this position impregnation appears usually to take place. After segmentation of the yelk, a solid nucleus is formed in the centre of the mulberry yelk-mass. This nucleus becomes invested in a special membrane, and into this embryonic mass the remainder of the yelk is gradually absorbed. Ciliary motion is observed at various points on the surface of the inclosed embryo, which finally assumes its characteristic form. The young larva, on escaping from the egg, consists of a homogeneous mass of pale-yellow granular matter, with scattered nuclei, cells, and oil-globules. It is barrel-shaped, and girded at intervals with about five broad ciliated bands.


Development ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 117 (4) ◽  
pp. 1239-1249 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.A. Whittaker ◽  
D.W. DeSimone

Adhesion of cells to extracellular matrix proteins is mediated, in large part, by transmembrane receptors of the integrin family. The identification of specific integrins expressed in early embryos is an important first step to understanding the roles of these receptors in developmental processes. We have used polymerase chain reaction methods and degenerate oligodeoxynucleotide primers to identify and clone Xenopus integrin alpha subunits from neurula-stage (stage 17) cDNA. Partial cDNAs encoding integrin subunits alpha 2, alpha 3, alpha 4, alpha 5, alpha 6 and an alpha IIb-related subunit were cloned and used to investigate integrin mRNA expression in early embryos by RNase protection assay and whole-mount in situ hybridization methods. Considerable integrin diversity is apparent early in development with integrins alpha 2, alpha 3, alpha 4, alpha 5 and alpha 6 each expressed by the end of gastrulation. Both alpha 3 and alpha 5 are expressed as maternal mRNAs. Zygotic expression of alpha 2, alpha 3, alpha 4 and alpha 6 transcripts begins during gastrulation. Integrin alpha 5 is expressed at relatively high levels during cleavage, blastula and gastrula stages suggesting that it may represent the major integrin expressed in the early embryo. We demonstrated previously that integrin beta 1 protein synthesis remains constant following induction of stage 8 animal cap cells with activin (Smith, J. C., Symes, K., Hynes, R. O. and DeSimone, D. W. (1990) Development 108, 289–298.). Here we report that integrin alpha 3, alpha 4 and alpha 6 mRNA levels increase following induction with 10 U/ml activin-A whereas alpha 5, beta 1 and beta 3 mRNA levels remain unchanged. Whole-mount in situ hybridization reveals that alpha 3 mRNAs are expressed by cells of the involuting mesoderm in the dorsal lip region of early gastrulae. As gastrulation proceeds, alpha 3 expression is localized to a stripe of presumptive notochordal cells along the dorsal midline. In neurulae, alpha 3 mRNA is highly expressed in the notochord but becomes progressively more restricted to the caudalmost portion of this tissue as development proceeds from tailbud to tadpole stages. In addition, alpha 3 is expressed in the forebrain region of later stage embryos. These data suggest that integrin-mediated adhesion may be involved in the process of mesoderm involution at gastrulation and the organization of tissues during embryogenesis.


Zootaxa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4674 (2) ◽  
pp. 283-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
ŁUKASZ PRZYBYŁOWICZ ◽  
VINCENT MAICHER ◽  
GYULA M. LÁSZLÓ ◽  
SZABOLCS SÁFIÁN ◽  
ROBERT TROPEK

Amerila is one of the most studied Afrotropical genera of Arctiinae. However, based on a regionally constrained sample of specimens from Mount Cameroon, we show how superficial our knowledge on these tiger moths is. Among six collected Amerila species, A. femina’s female is described here for the first time, and A. mulleri and A. roseomarginata had never been recorded before in the country. Moreover, novel biological data are presented, including individual species’ elevational ranges. Finally, female reproductive organs of the genus are illustrated here for the first time. The value of such regional studies is highlighted, with some remarks on necessary requirements of such small-scaled field sampling. 


1970 ◽  
Vol 102 (2) ◽  
pp. 144-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. N. Mathur ◽  
E. J. LeRoux

AbstractThe anatomy and functions of the male and female reproductive organs of Allothrombium lerouxi Moss are described in detail. In the male, the reproductive organs consist of paired testes, paired vasa diferentia, a median seminal vesicle, a median ejaculatory duct, bursa expulsatoria, a penis, and a median accessory gland; in the female, they consist of paired ovaries, paired oviducts, a median uterus and a vagina. The function of the parts in the male differs from that reported in other species of Trombidiformes, and in females fertilization takes place in the spongy epithelium of the uterus instead of in the oviducts as in oribatids. Females also lack a receptaculum seminis and accessory glands.


2000 ◽  
Vol 124 (7) ◽  
pp. 1080-1082
Author(s):  
Kim A. Collins ◽  
Stephen J. Cina ◽  
Mark J. Pettenati ◽  
Matthew Fitts

Abstract Traditionally, the finding of semen, that is, spermatozoa and acid phosphatase, in cervicovaginal specimens has been considered the laboratory evidence needed to prove recent sexual contact. Recent research with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) has shown that in the absence of semen, male epithelial and inflammatory cells can be found within the female genital tract. A striking paucity of literature exists pertaining to the examination of the penis of an alleged assailant for potential evidence indicative of sexual assault. The current study uses FISH to analyzepostcoital swabs of the penis for such laboratory evidence. A male and female volunteer couple consented to participate in this study. Following coitus, the male partner presented to one of the investigators for penile swabbing. Swabs were taken at varying postcoital intervals (1–24 hours) subsequent to 10 coital episodes. The male participant was instructed not to shower following coitus, but to otherwise go about daily activities until specimen collection. To obtain each sample, 4 sterile cotton-tipped applicators were slightly moistened in sterile saline and swabbed along the length of the penile shaft and around the base of the penis. From the swabs, 3 air-dried slides were prepared, coded, and blinded. As controls, swabs were taken from the buccal surfaces of both volunteers. Multicolor FISH was performed using dual X- and Y-chromosome probes, and slides were counterstained with 4′-6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI). Cells were easily visualized under a fluorescent microscope, but only cells with 2 nonoverlapping fluorescent signals were counted. Fluorescence in situ hybridization is highly sensitive and specific, and the dual probes easily distinguished between male and female cells. Female cells were identified on smears from every penile swab over the entire 1- to 24-hour postcoital interval. The FISH technique, previously successful in identifying male cells within the female genital tract, may also be employed on penile swabs. Once the presence of female cells is confirmed by FISH, the identity of the female can be confirmed by DNA analysis. Potentially, with such current molecular analyses, both the assailant and the victim can be positively identified.


2000 ◽  
Vol 124 (7) ◽  
pp. 1083-1086 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen J. Cina ◽  
Kim A. Collins ◽  
Matthew Fitts ◽  
Mark J. Pettenati

Abstract Background.—Identification of male perpetrators of sexual assault may be made from cells and fluids recovered from postcoital condoms. To date, the focus has been on identifying the person who had worn the condom. Objective.—To describe a method for scientifically identifying both the male and female participants in a sex act by employing polymerase chain reaction–based technology on swabs taken from the internal and external surfaces of a condom. Fluorescence in situ hybridization may be used to screen for the presence of female cells on a condom. Methods.—Swabs were taken from the internal and external surfaces of a condom 8 hours postcoitus. DNA was isolated from each swab through standard organic extraction. Extracted DNA was amplified for 8 different genetic loci using the Promega PowerPlex kit and the sex identification amelogenin marker. Amplified samples were electrophoresed on precast sequencing gels and analyzed fluorescently using a Hitachi FMBIO 2 fluorescent scanner and software. Each DNA sample obtained from the condom was compared with male and female buccal controls. At the time of collection, air-dried slides were prepared from the swabs for subsequent multicolor fluorescence in situ hybridization using dual X- and Y-chromosome probes with 4′-6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) counterstaining. Results.—A pure sample of female DNA was isolated from the external surface of the condom as determined by exclusive amplification of the X-chromosome–specific 212-base pair amelogenin marker. Swabs taken from the internal surface yielded DNA originating from the male participant. Identification was conclusive at 8 of 8 genetic loci. Fluorescence in situ hybridization identified pure populations of male epithelial cells from the internal surface of the condom and female cells from the external surface. Conclusions.—Cells shed from a female during sexual intercourse can be retrieved from the external surface of a condom following sexual intercourse. Fluorescence in situ hybridization can be used to screen for the presence of female cells, and positive identification of the female sexual partner can then be made using polymerase chain reaction–based methods. We suggest that swabs taken from both surfaces of a condom used during sexual assault may be used to provide information that will definitively link the victim to the suspect.


Genome ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 48 (5) ◽  
pp. 931-936 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koichi Sakamoto ◽  
Tomoko Abe ◽  
Tomoki Matsuyama ◽  
Shigeo Yoshida ◽  
Nobuko Ohmido ◽  
...  

Male-associated DNA sequences were analyzed in Cannabis sativa L. (hemp), a dioecious plant with heteromorphic sex chromosomes. DNA was isolated from male and female plants and subjected to random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis. Of 120 primers, 17 yielded 400 to 1500-bp fragments detectable in male, but not female, plants. These fragments were cloned and used as probes in gel-blot analysis of genomic DNA. When male and female DNA was hybridized with 2 of these male-specific fragments, MADC(male-associated DNA sequences in C. sativa)3 and MADC4, particularly intense bands specific to male plants were detected in addition to bands common to both sexes. The MADC3 and MADC4 sequences were shown to encode gag/pol polyproteins of copia-like retrotransposons. Fluorescence in situ hybridization with MADC3 and MADC4 as probes revealed a number of intense signals on the Y chromosome as well as dispersed signals on all chromosomes. The gel-blot analysis and fluorescence in situ hybridization results presented here support the hypothesis that accumulation of retrotransposable elements on the Y chromosome might be 1 cause of heteromorphism of sex chromosomes.Key words: Cannabis sativa, FISH, RAPD, retrotransposon, sex chromosome.


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