Sperm Storage in a Family-Living Lizard, the Tree Skink (Egernia striolata)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia L Riley ◽  
Adam Stow ◽  
Peri E Bolton ◽  
Siobhan Dennison ◽  
Richard Byrne ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Analysis ◽  
Multiple Paternity ◽  
Sperm Storage ◽  
Genetic Compatibility ◽  
Real Possibility ◽  
Social Partners ◽  
Female Tree ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
Family Living ◽  
First Time

Abstract The ability to produce viable offspring without recently mating, either through sperm storage or parthenogenesis, can provide fitness advantages under a suite of challenging ecological scenarios. Using genetic analysis, we demonstrate that three wild-caught female Tree Skinks (Egernia striolata) reproduced in captivity with no access to males for over a year, and that this is best explained by sperm storage. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time female sperm storage has been documented in any monogamous family-living reptile, including social Australian egerniine skinks (from the subfamily Egerniinae). Furthermore, by using paternal reconstruction of genotypes we show that captive-born offspring produced by the same females in the preceding year, presumably without sperm storage, were sired by different males. We qualitatively compared aspects of these females’ mates and offspring between years. The parents of each litter were unrelated, but paternal and offspring genotypes from litters resulting from stored sperm were more heterozygous than those inferred to be from recent matings. Family-living egerniine skinks generally have low rates of multiple paternity, yet our study suggests that female sperm storage, potentially from outside social partners, offers the real possibility of benefits. Possible benefits include increasing genetic compatibility of mates and avoiding inbreeding depression via cryptic female choice. Sperm storage in Tree Skinks, a family-living lizard with a monogamous mating system, suggests that females may bet-hedge through extra-pair copulation with more heterozygous males, reinforcing the idea that females could have more control on reproductive outcomes than previously thought.

scholarly journals Central precocious puberty in a girl with LEGIUS syndrome: an accidental association?

2021 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentina Orlandi ◽  
Paolo Cavarzere ◽  
Laura Palma ◽  
Rossella Gaudino ◽  
Franco Antoniazzi
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Analysis ◽  
Precocious Puberty ◽  
Central Precocious Puberty ◽  
Neurofibromatosis Type ◽  
Case Presentation ◽  
New Variant ◽  
Legius Syndrome ◽  
Timing Of Puberty ◽  
First Time

Abstract Background Central precocious puberty is a condition characterized by precocious activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. It may be idiopathic or secondary to organic causes, including syndromes such as Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). Case presentation We presented a girl of 6 years and 10 months with almost 11 café-au-lait skin macules, without other clinical or radiological signs typical of NF1, and with a central precocious puberty. Genetic analysis evidenced the new variant NM-152594.2:c.304delAp. (Thr102Argfs*19) in SPRED1 gene, which allowed to diagnose Legius syndrome. Conclusions We report for the first time a case of central precocious puberty in a girl with Legius syndrome. The presence of central precocious puberty in a child with characteristic café-au-lait macules should suggest pediatricians to perform genetic analysis in order to reach a definitive diagnosis. Further studies on timing of puberty in patients with RASopathies are needed to better elucidate if this clinical association is casual or secondary to their clinical condition.

scholarly journals An infanticide attempt by a free-roaming feral stallion ( Equus caballus )

2008 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meeghan E Gray
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Genetic Analysis ◽  
Equus Caballus ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Feral Horses ◽  
Selection Hypothesis ◽  
Sexual Selection Hypothesis ◽  
In Captivity

Infanticide by adult males occurs in a variety of species. While infanticidal attacks have been documented in several equid species in captivity, it has never been witnessed in free-roaming feral horses. I report an infanticide attempt by a free-living feral stallion on a recently born female foal. The stallion picked up the foal by the shoulders, tossed it around twice and bit in on the neck several times. The dam of the foal charged the stallion and successfully protected her foal from additional attacks. The foal survived the attack and later weaned successfully. The stallion recently took over the band and was excluded as the sire through genetic analysis. While this type of attack is rare, this case lends support to the sexual selection hypothesis and further demonstrates that equids have evolved with the risk of infanticide. Furthermore, it shows that maternal protectiveness can be successful against attacks by infanticidal males.

slimb coordinates wg and dpp expression in the dorsal-ventral and anterior-posterior axes during limb development

Development ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 125 (17) ◽  
pp. 3411-3416 ◽  
Author(s):  
N.A. Theodosiou ◽  
S. Zhang ◽  
W.Y. Wang ◽  
T. Xu
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Analysis ◽  
Limb Development ◽  
Imaginal Disc ◽  
Essential Role ◽  
Present Evidence ◽  
First Time ◽  
Anterior Posterior

In the Drosophila leg disc, wingless (wg) and decapentaplegic (dpp) are expressed in a ventral-anterior and dorsal-anterior stripe of cells, respectively. This pattern of expression is essential for proper limb development. While the Hedgehog (Hh) pathway regulates dpp and wg expression in the anterior-posterior (A/P) axis, mechanisms specifying their expression in the dorsal-ventral (D/V) axis are not well understood. We present evidence that slimb mutant clones in the disc deregulate wg and dpp expression in the D/V axis. This suggests for the first time that their expression in the D/V axis is actively regulated during imaginal disc development. Furthermore, slimb is unique in that it also deregulates wg and dpp in the A/P axis. The misexpression phenotypes of slimb- clones indicate that the regulation of wg and dpp expression is coordinated in both axes, and that slimb plays an essential role in integrating A/P and D/V signals for proper patterning during development. Our genetic analysis further reveals that slimb intersects the A/P pathway upstream of smoothened (smo).

The Living Disappeared

2020 ◽  
pp. 149-172
Author(s):  
Mariana Herrera Piñero ◽  
Eric Stover ◽  
Melina Tupa ◽  
Víctor B. Penchaszadeh
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Analysis ◽  
Dna Sequencing ◽  
Dna Analysis ◽  
Genetic Data ◽  
Data Bank ◽  
Military Rule ◽  
Missing Children ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
Clandestine Graves ◽  
Psychosocial Challenges

This chapter tells the story of the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo, or Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo, and their search for more than 500 grandchildren who were kidnapped by the Argentine military or born in captivity during military rule from 1976 to 1983. Most of the parents of these children were executed and buried in clandestine graves, while their children were given to childless military and civilian couples. Hope turned the Abuelas into detectives. Over many years, they examined thousands of pages of public documents, conducted stakeouts, and went undercover in their search for clues to the whereabouts of their missing grandchildren. But sleuthing was easy compared to convincing courts that the children they had located were biologically related to the grandparents who claimed them. In spring 1984, several foreign geneticists came to the aid of the Abuelas. Six months later, the first grandchild was identified on the basis of genetic analysis and returned to her grandmother. DNA sequencing soon followed, and in 1987, the Argentine Congress passed a law establishing the Banco Nacional de Datos Genéticos (National Genetic Data Bank), dedicated exclusively to identifying Argentina’s missing children. To date, 127 stolen children have been identified, most of them based on DNA analysis. While tracing this history, the chapter explores the scientific, legal, and psychosocial challenges that have arisen during the Abuelas’ search for their missing grandchildren.

scholarly journals Acoustic signalling during courtship in the painted goby, Pomatoschistus pictus

2007 ◽  
Vol 87 (4) ◽  
pp. 1017-1023 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.C.P. Amorim ◽  
A.S.M. Neves
Keyword(s):  
Low Frequency ◽  
Courtship Behaviour ◽  
Male Size ◽  
Pulse Trains ◽  
Very Low Frequency ◽  
Somatic Condition ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
First Time ◽  
Courtship Displays

Gobies emit sounds during different stages of reproduction, including courtship, pre-spawning events (in the nest) and spawning. The breeding sounds of the painted goby Pomatoschistus pictus and associated courtship behaviour were recorded in captivity and described for the first time. Males emitted thump-like sounds mainly when displaying alone in the nest and produced drumming sounds outside the nest. Thumps have never been reported for other species of the genus Pomatoschistus. Thumps were short (~80 ms) very-low frequency (below 100 Hz) non-pulsed sounds, whereas drums were longer (hundreds of ms) and consisted of low frequency (~300 Hz) pulse trains. Thump characteristics varied significantly among males but also showed high within-male variability. The frequency of thump emissions and courtship behaviour (total number of courtship displays, lead and nest display) were positively correlated with male size but not with male somatic condition. Thump bursts emitted during nest displays were significantly longer than when emitted with other behaviours. These results suggest that larger males courted females more intensively, both with visual and acoustic displays, than smaller ones.

Multiple paternity in a natural population of a salamander with long-term sperm storage

2005 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 1803-1810 ◽  
Author(s):  
ERIKA M. ADAMS ◽  
ADAM G. JONES ◽  
STEVAN J. ARNOLD
Keyword(s):  
Natural Population ◽  
Multiple Paternity ◽  
Sperm Storage

scholarly journals First evidence of multiple paternity in the bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas)

2017 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agathe Pirog ◽  
Sébastien Jaquemet ◽  
Marc Soria ◽  
Hélène Magalon
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Paternity ◽  
Western Indian Ocean ◽  
Reproductive Behaviour ◽  
Selection Processes ◽  
Carcharhinus Leucas ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
Bull Shark ◽  
Zygotic Selection ◽  
First Time

The present study assessed the occurrence of multiple paternity in four litters of bull shark Carcharhinus leucas (n=5, 8, 9 and 11 embryos) sampled at Reunion Island in the Western Indian Ocean. Using 21 microsatellite loci, we revealed that two litters were generated from two sires each, demonstrating for the first time multiple paternity for this species. We also reported a high paternal skew (10:1 in Litter 1 and 7:1 in Litter 3), which may be because of post-copulatory or post-zygotic selection processes. These results contribute to a better understanding of the reproductive behaviour of the bull shark, which remains poorly documented. The present study must be expanded to assess the frequency of multiple paternity in this species, and to test for genetic or cryptic benefits (convenience polyandry), which is important for long-term conservation and management plans.

Patterns of sperm use in two populations of Red-sided Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis) with long-term female sperm storage

2014 ◽  
Vol 92 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher R. Friesen ◽  
Robert T. Mason ◽  
Stevan J. Arnold ◽  
Suzanne Estes
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Paternity ◽  
Sperm Storage ◽  
Female Reproductive Tract ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Order Effects ◽  
Thamnophis Sirtalis ◽  
Sperm Precedence ◽  
Experimental Population ◽  
Thamnophis Sirtalis Parietalis

Long-term sperm storage may contribute to postcopulatory sexual selection because it enhances the commingling of sperm from different males within the female reproductive tract, which is the prerequisite for sperm competition. Long-term sperm storage and multiple paternity has been documented in snakes, but the identity of the last potential father is usually unknown in studies demonstrating multiple paternity. Here we present the first study in Red-sided Garter Snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis (Say in James, 1832)) to use experimental population crosses to assess stored sperm usage, mate-order effects, and the potential for interpopulational gametic isolation. We found a high rate of multiple paternity indicative of ubiquitous long-term sperm storage in this system, and observed last-male sperm precedence in all families (n = 66). Postzygotic isolation was absent, and we observed only a weak asymmetry in pattern of sperm precedence in our population crosses.

scholarly journals Four Copies of SNCA Responsible for Autosomal Dominant Parkinson’s Disease in Two Italian Siblings

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosangela Ferese ◽  
Nicola Modugno ◽  
Rosa Campopiano ◽  
Marco Santilli ◽  
Stefania Zampatti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Genetic Analysis ◽  
Psychiatric Symptoms ◽  
Alpha Synuclein ◽  
Genomic Region ◽  
Comparative Genomic ◽  
Nigrostriatal Dopamine ◽  
First Time ◽  
Dependent Probe

Background. Parkinson’s disease (PD) is mostly characterized by alpha-synuclein (SNCA) aggregation and loss of nigrostriatal dopamine-containing neurons. In this study a novel SNCA multiplication is described in two siblings affected by severe parkinsonism featuring early onset dyskinesia, psychiatric symptoms, and cognitive deterioration. Methods. SNCA dosage was performed using High-Density Comparative Genomic Hybridization Array (CGH-Array), Multiple Ligation Dependent Probe Amplification (MLPA), and Quantitative PCR (qPCR). Genetic analysis was associated with clinical evaluation. Results. Genetic analysis of siblings showed for the first time a 351 Kb triplication containing SNCA gene along with 6 exons of MMRN1 gene in 4q22.1 and a duplication of 1,29 Mb of a genomic region flanking the triplication. Conclusions. The identification of this family indicates a novel mechanism of SNCA gene multiplication, which confirms the genomic instability in this region and provides data on the genotype-phenotype correlation in PD patients.

scholarly journals Development of oocytes in a post-spawning Japanese eel Anguilla japonica Temminck & Schlegel in captivity

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satoru Tanaka ◽  
Akihiro Okamura ◽  
Naomi Mikawa ◽  
Yoshiaki Yamada ◽  
Noriyuki Horie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hormonal Treatment ◽  
Gonadal Development ◽  
Anguilla Japonica ◽  
Maturation Stage ◽  
Multiple Spawning ◽  
Gonadal Histology ◽  
Final Maturation ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
Post Spawning ◽  
First Time

It is generally believed that parent freshwater eels (Anguilla sp.) die soon after spawning on the assumption that eels are a semelparous (or monocyclic) fish (spawn once at the last stage of life) like Pacific salmonids. However, we observed for the first time a post-spawning female Anguilla japonica again possessed developing oocytes reaching the final maturation stage in captivity five months after the last spawning even without hormonal treatment. Here we describe information on this female about its biological characteristics including gonadal histology and endocrine profiles. The data suggest that lowering water temperature for a period of time is one of the important factors influencing spontaneous gonadal development in this specimen. We also discuss the possibility of induced multiple spawning of this species in captivity.

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