scholarly journals Mated Drosophila melanogaster Females Require a Seminal Fluid Protein, Acp36DE, to Store Sperm Efficiently

Genetics ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 153 (2) ◽  
pp. 845-857 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah M Neubaum ◽  
Mariana F Wolfner
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Seminal Fluid ◽  
Sperm Storage ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Limited Area ◽  
Seminal Fluid Proteins ◽  
Barrier Formation ◽  
Storage Organs ◽  
Initial Storage ◽  
Seminal Fluid Protein

Abstract Mated females of many animal species store sperm. Sperm storage profoundly influences the number, timing, and paternity of the female’s progeny. To investigate mechanisms for sperm storage in Drosophila melanogaster, we generated and analyzed mutations in Acp36DE. Acp36DE is a male seminal fluid protein whose localization in mated females suggested a role in sperm storage. We report that male-derived Acp36DE is essential for efficient sperm storage by females. Acp36DE1 (null) mutant males produced and transferred normal amounts of sperm and seminal fluid proteins. However, mates of Acp36DE1 males stored only 15% as many sperm and produced 10% as many adult progeny as control-mated females. Moreover, without Acp36DE, mated females failed to maintain an elevated egg-laying rate and decreased receptivity, behaviors whose persistence (but not initiation) normally depends on the presence of stored sperm. Previous studies suggested that a barrier in the oviduct confines sperm and Acp36DE to a limited area near the storage organs. We show that Acp36DE is not required for barrier formation, but both Acp36DE and the barrier are required for maximal sperm storage. Acp36DE associates tightly with sperm. Our results indicate that Acp36DE is essential for the initial storage of sperm, and that it may also influence the arrangement and retention of stored sperm.

scholarly journals The Drosophila melanogaster Seminal Fluid Protein Acp62F Is a Protease Inhibitor That Is Toxic Upon Ectopic Expression

Genetics ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 160 (1) ◽  
pp. 211-224
Author(s):  
Oliver Lung ◽  
Uyen Tram ◽  
Casey M Finnerty ◽  
Marcie A Eipper-Mains ◽  
John M Kalb ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Protease Inhibitor ◽  
Life Span ◽  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Seminal Fluid ◽  
Ectopic Expression ◽  
Circulatory System ◽  
Sperm Storage ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Seminal Fluid Proteins

Abstract Drosophila melanogaster seminal fluid proteins stimulate sperm storage and egg laying in the mated female but also cause a reduction in her life span. We report here that of eight Drosophila seminal fluid proteins (Acps) and one non-Acp tested, only Acp62F is toxic when ectopically expressed. Toxicity to preadult male or female Drosophila occurs upon one exposure, whereas multiple exposures are needed for toxicity to adult female flies. Of the Acp62F received by females during mating, ~10% enters the circulatory system while ~90% remains in the reproductive tract. We show that in the reproductive tract, Acp62F localizes to the lumen of the uterus and the female's sperm storage organs. Analysis of Acp62F's sequence, and biochemical assays, reveals that it encodes a trypsin inhibitor with sequence and structural similarities to extracellular serine protease inhibitors from the nematode Ascaris. In light of previous results demonstrating entry of Acp62F into the mated female's hemolymph, we propose that Acp62F is a candidate for a molecule to contribute to the Acp-dependent decrease in female life span. We propose that Acp62F's protease inhibitor activity exerts positive protective functions in the mated female's reproductive tract but that entry of a small amount of this protein into the female's hemolymph could contribute to the cost of mating.

scholarly journals Male Seminal Fluid Proteins Are Essential for Sperm Storage in Drosophila melanogaster

Genetics ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 153 (2) ◽  
pp. 837-844 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uyen Tram ◽  
Mariana F Wolfner
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Seminal Fluid ◽  
Accessory Gland ◽  
Sperm Storage ◽  
Competitive Pcr ◽  
Seminal Fluid Proteins ◽  
Pcr Assays ◽  
Transgenic Drosophila ◽  
Direct Counts

AbstractThe seminal fluid that is transferred along with sperm during mating acts in many ways to maximize a male’s reproductive success. Here, we use transgenic Drosophila melanogaster males deficient in the seminal fluid proteins derived from the accessory gland (Acps) to investigate the role of these proteins in the fate of sperm transferred to females during mating. Competitive PCR assays were used to show that while Acps contribute to the efficiency of sperm transfer, they are not essential for the transfer of sperm to the female. In contrast, we found that Acps are essential for storage of sperm by females. Direct counts of stored sperm showed that 10% of normal levels are stored by females whose mates transfer little or no Acps along with sperm.

scholarly journals Age-dependent female responses to a male ejaculate signal alter demographic opportunities for selection

2013 ◽  
Vol 280 (1766) ◽  
pp. 20130428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Fricke ◽  
Darrell Green ◽  
Walter E. Mills ◽  
Tracey Chapman
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Conflict ◽  
Seminal Fluid ◽  
Conflicts Of Interest ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Specific Expression ◽  
Young Females ◽  
Sexually Selected Traits ◽  
Selected Traits ◽  
Female Responses ◽  
Seminal Fluid Protein

A central tenet of evolutionary explanations for ageing is that the strength of selection wanes with age. However, data on age-specific expression and benefits of sexually selected traits are lacking—particularly for traits subject to sexual conflict. We addressed this by using as a model the responses of Drosophila melanogaster females of different ages to receipt of sex peptide (SP), a seminal fluid protein transferred with sperm during mating. SP can mediate sexual conflict, benefitting males while causing fitness costs in females. Virgin and mated females of all ages showed significantly reduced receptivity in response to SP. However, only young virgin females also showed increased egg laying; hence, there was a narrow demographic window of maximal responses to SP. Males gained significant ‘per mating’ fitness benefits only when mating with young females. The pattern completely reversed in matings with older females, where SP transfer was costly. The overall benefits of SP transfer (hence opportunity for selection) therefore reversed with female age. The data reveal a new example of demographic variation in the strength of selection, with convergence and conflicts of interest between males and ageing females occurring over different facets of responses to a sexually antagonistic trait.

scholarly journals Sex peptide of Drosophila melanogaster males is a global regulator of reproductive processes in females

2012 ◽  
Vol 279 (1746) ◽  
pp. 4423-4432 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Gioti ◽  
S. Wigby ◽  
B. Wertheim ◽  
E. Schuster ◽  
P. Martinez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Sexual Conflict ◽  
Seminal Fluid ◽  
Nutrient Sensing ◽  
Seminal Fluid Proteins ◽  
Sex Peptide ◽  
Efficient Induction ◽  
Transcriptional Changes ◽  
Female Behaviour ◽  
Reproductive Processes

Seminal fluid proteins (Sfps) alter female behaviour and physiology and can mediate sexual conflict. In Drosophila melanogaster , a single Sfp, the sex peptide (SP), triggers remarkable post-mating responses in females, including altered fecundity, feeding, immunity and sexual receptivity. These effects can favour the evolutionary interests of males while generating costs in females. We tested the hypothesis that SP is an upstream master-regulator able to induce diverse phenotypes through efficient induction of widespread transcriptional changes in females. We profiled mRNA responses to SP in adult female abdomen (Abd) and head+thorax (HT) tissues using microarrays at 3 and 6 h following mating. SP elicited a rich, subtle signature of temporally and spatially controlled mRNAs. There were significant alterations to genes linked to egg development, early embryogenesis, immunity, nutrient sensing, behaviour and, unexpectedly, phototransduction. There was substantially more variation in the direction of differential expression across time points in the HT versus Abd. The results support the idea that SP is an important regulator of gene expression in females. The expression of many genes in one sex can therefore be under the influence of a regulator expressed in the other. This could influence the extent of sexual conflict both within and between loci.

scholarly journals Functional genome annotation of Drosophila seminal fluid proteins using transcriptional genetic networks

2011 ◽  
Vol 93 (6) ◽  
pp. 387-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
JULIEN F. AYROLES ◽  
BROOKE A. LAFLAMME ◽  
ERIC A. STONE ◽  
MARIANA F. WOLFNER ◽  
TRUDY F. C. MACKAY
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Seminal Fluid ◽  
Gene Annotation ◽  
Expression Patterns ◽  
Genetic Correlations ◽  
Seminal Fluid Proteins ◽  
High Throughput Method ◽  
Seminal Fluid Protein ◽  
Functional Genome Annotation

SummaryPredicting functional gene annotations remains a significant challenge, even in well-annotated genomes such as yeast and Drosophila. One promising, high-throughput method for gene annotation is to use correlated gene expression patterns to annotate target genes based on the known function of focal genes. The Drosophila melanogaster transcriptome varies genetically among wild-derived inbred lines, with strong genetic correlations among the transcripts. Here, we leveraged the genetic correlations in gene expression among known seminal fluid protein (SFP) genes and the rest of the genetically varying transcriptome to identify 176 novel candidate SFPs (cSFPs). We independently validated the correlation in gene expression between seven of the cSFPs and a known SFP gene, as well as expression in male reproductive tissues. We argue that this method can be extended to other systems for which information on genetic variation in gene expression is available.

scholarly journals Rapid divergence of the copulation proteins in the Drosophila dunni group is associated with hybrid post-mating-prezygotic incompatibilities

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom Hill ◽  
Hazel-Lynn Rosales-Stephens ◽  
Robert L. Unckless
Keyword(s):  
Seminal Fluid ◽  
Rapid Evolution ◽  
Species Group ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Reproductive Proteins ◽  
Seminal Fluid Proteins ◽  
Prezygotic Isolation ◽  
Caribbean Islands ◽  
Female Survival ◽  
Rapid Divergence

AbstractProteins involved in post-copulatory interactions between males and females are among the fastest evolving genes in many species and this has been attributed to reproductive conflict. Likely as a result, these proteins are frequently involved in cases of post-mating-prezygotic isolation between species. The Drosophila dunni subgroup consists of a dozen recently diverged species found across the Caribbean islands with varying levels of hybrid incompatibility. We sought to examine how post-mating-prezygotic factors are involved in isolation among members of this species group. We performed experimental crosses between species in the dunni group and find evidence of hybrid inviability. We also find an insemination reaction-like response preventing egg laying and leading to reduced female survival post-mating. To identify that genes may be involved in these incompatibilities, we sequenced and assembled the genomes of four species in the dunni subgroup and looked for signals of rapid evolution between species. Despite low levels of divergence, we found evidence of rapid evolution and divergence of some reproductive proteins, specifically the seminal fluid proteins. This suggests post-mating-prezygotic isolation as a barrier for gene flow between even the most closely related species in this group and seminal fluid proteins as a possible culprit.

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