Research gaps and new insights in the evolution of Drosophila seminal fluid proteins

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Juan ◽  
C. Almeida Francisca ◽  
B. S. Anahí ◽  
R. Santiago ◽  
H. Esteban
Keyword(s):  
Seminal Fluid ◽  
Research Gaps ◽  
Seminal Fluid Proteins

scholarly journals Research gaps and new insights in the intriguing evolution of Drosophila seminal proteins

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Hurtado ◽  
Francisca Cunha Almeida ◽  
Silvina Anahí Belliard ◽  
Santiago Revale ◽  
Esteban Hasson
Keyword(s):  
Seminal Fluid ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Comparative Genomic ◽  
Genomic Information ◽  
Research Gaps ◽  
Seminal Fluid Proteins ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Genomic Analyses ◽  
Multiple Species

While the striking effects that seminal fluid proteins (SFPs) exert on females are fairly conserved among Diptera, they exhibit remarkable evolutionary lability. Consequently, most SFPs lack detectable homologs among the repertoire of SFPs of phylogenetically distant species. How such a rapidly changing proteome "manages" to conserve functions across taxa is a fascinating question. However, this and other pivotal aspects of SFPs' evolution remain elusive because discoveries on these proteins have been mainly restricted to the model D. melanogaster. Here, we provide an overview of the current knowledge on the inter-specific divergence of Drosophila SFPs and compile the increasing amount of relevant genomic information from multiple species. Capitalizing the accumulated knowledge in D. melanogaster, we present novel sets of high-confidence SFP candidates and transcription factors presumptively involved in regulating the expression of SFPs. We also address open questions by performing comparative genomic analyses that failed to support the existence of conserved SFPs shared by most dipterans and indicated that gene co-option is the most frequent mechanism accounting for the origin of Drosophila SFP-coding genes. We hope our update establishes a starting point to integrate, as more species are assayed for SFPs, further data and thus, to widen the understanding of the intricate evolution of these proteins.

Seminal fluid proteins differ in abundance between genetic lineages of honeybees

2012 ◽  
Vol 75 (18) ◽  
pp. 5646-5653 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boris Baer ◽  
Reza Zareie ◽  
Ellen Paynter ◽  
Veronica Poland ◽  
A. Harvey Millar
Keyword(s):  
Seminal Fluid ◽  
Seminal Fluid Proteins ◽  
Genetic Lineages

scholarly journals The Old and the New: Discovery Proteomics Identifies Putative Novel Seminal Fluid Proteins in Drosophila

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. S23-S33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy L. Karr ◽  
Helen Southern ◽  
Matthew A. Rosenow ◽  
Toni I. Gossmann ◽  
Rhonda R. Snook
Keyword(s):  
Seminal Fluid ◽  
Seminal Fluid Proteins ◽  
New Discovery

scholarly journals Evolution of species-specific major seminal fluid proteins in placental mammals by gene death and positive selection

2015 ◽  
Vol 84 (3) ◽  
pp. 217-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camille Meslin ◽  
Michel Laurin ◽  
Isabelle Callebaut ◽  
Xavier Druart ◽  
Philippe Monget
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Positive Selection ◽  
Statistical Power ◽  
Animal Species ◽  
Seminal Fluid ◽  
Domestic Animal ◽  
Secreted Proteins ◽  
Seminal Fluid Proteins ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Complex Substance

The seminal fluid is a complex substance composed of a variety of secreted proteins and has been shown to play an important role in the fertilisation process in mammals and also in Drosophila. Several genes under positive selection have been documented in some rodents and primates. Our study documents this phenomenon in several other mammalian taxa. We study the evolution of genes that encode for 20 proteins that are quantitatively predominant in the seminal fluid of at least one out of seven domestic animal species. We analyse the amino acid composition of these proteins for positive selection and for the presence of pseudogenes. Genes that disappeared through pseudogenisation include KLK2 in cattle, horse and mice. Traces of positive selection are found in seven genes. The identified amino acids are located in regions exposed to the protein surface, suggesting a role in the interaction of gametes, with possible impact on the process of speciation. Moreover, we found no evidence that the predominance of proteins in seminal fluid and their mode of evolution are correlated, and the uncoupled patterns of change suggest that this result is not due solely to lack of statistical power.

scholarly journals Conceptual developments in sperm competition: a very brief synopsis

2020 ◽  
Vol 375 (1813) ◽  
pp. 20200061 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoff A. Parker
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Seminal Fluid ◽  
Female Reproduction ◽  
Internal Fertilization ◽  
Seminal Fluid Proteins ◽  
Competition Theory ◽  
Past Half Century ◽  
Mate Acquisition ◽  
Gamete Competition

The past half century has seen the development of the field of post-ejaculatory sexual selection, the sequel to sexual selection for mate-acquisition (pre-ejaculatory) described by Darwin. In richness and diversity of adaptations, post-ejaculatory selection rivals that of pre-ejaculatory sexual selection. Anisogamy—and hence two sexes—likely arose by primeval gamete competition, and sperm competition remains a major force maintaining high sperm numbers. The post-ejaculatory equivalent of male–male competition for matings, sperm competition was an intense ancestral form of sexual selection, typically weakening as mobility and internal fertilization developed in many taxa, when some expenditure became diverted into pre-ejaculatory competition. Sperm competition theory has been relatively successful in explaining variation in relative testes size and sperm numbers per ejaculate and is becoming more successful in explaining variation in sperm phenotype. Sperm competition has generated many other male adaptations such as seminal fluid proteins that variously modify female reproduction towards male interests, and copulatory plugs, prolonged copulations and post-ejaculatory guarding behaviour that reduce female remating probability, many of which result in sexual conflict. This short survey of conceptual developments is intended as a broad overview, mainly as a primer for new researchers. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Fifty years of sperm competition'.

scholarly journals DECOUPLING OF RAPID AND ADAPTIVE EVOLUTION AMONG SEMINAL FLUID PROTEINS IN HELICONIUS BUTTERFLIES WITH DIVERGENT MATING SYSTEMS

Evolution ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 65 (10) ◽  
pp. 2855-2871 ◽  
Author(s):  
James R. Walters ◽  
Richard G. Harrison
Keyword(s):  
Adaptive Evolution ◽  
Mating Systems ◽  
Seminal Fluid ◽  
Seminal Fluid Proteins ◽  
Heliconius Butterflies

On the evolutionary origins of insect seminal fluid proteins

2019 ◽  
Vol 278 ◽  
pp. 104-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura King Sirot
Keyword(s):  
Seminal Fluid ◽  
Seminal Fluid Proteins ◽  
Evolutionary Origins

scholarly journals Differences in Postmating Transcriptional Responses between Conspecific and Heterospecific Matings in Drosophila

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasir H Ahmed-Braimah ◽  
Mariana F Wolfner ◽  
Andrew G Clark
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Evolutionary Dynamics ◽  
Seminal Fluid ◽  
Female Reproductive Tract ◽  
Additional Stress ◽  
Reproductive Proteins ◽  
Transcriptional Responses ◽  
Seminal Fluid Proteins ◽  
Reproductive Genes ◽  
Imd Pathway

Abstract In many animal species, females undergo physiological and behavioral changes after mating. Some of these changes are driven by male-derived seminal fluid proteins and are critical for fertilization success. Unfortunately, our understanding of the molecular interplay between female and male reproductive proteins remains inadequate. Here, we analyze the postmating response in a Drosophila species that has evolved strong gametic incompatibility with its sister species; Drosophila novamexicana females produce only ∼1% fertilized eggs in crosses with Drosophila americana males, compared to ∼98% produced in within-species crosses. This incompatibility is likely caused by mismatched male and female reproductive molecules. In this study, we use short-read RNA sequencing to examine the evolutionary dynamics of female reproductive genes and the postmating transcriptome response in crosses within and between species. First, we found that most female reproductive tract genes are slow-evolving compared to the genome average. Second, postmating responses in con- and heterospecific matings are largely congruent, but heterospecific matings induce expression of additional stress-response genes. Some of those are immunity genes that are activated by the Imd pathway. We also identify several genes in the JAK/STAT signaling pathway that are induced in heterospecific, but not conspecific mating. While this immune response was most pronounced in the female reproductive tract, we also detect it in the female head and ovaries. These results show that the female’s postmating transcriptome-level response is determined in part by the genotype of the male, and that divergence in male reproductive genes and/or traits can have immunogenic effects on females.

scholarly journals Sexual conflict drives male manipulation of female postmating responses inDrosophila melanogaster

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (17) ◽  
pp. 8437-8444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Hollis ◽  
Mareike Koppik ◽  
Kristina U. Wensing ◽  
Hanna Ruhmann ◽  
Eléonore Genzoni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Conflict ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Seminal Fluid ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Feeding Rates ◽  
Single Male ◽  
Seminal Fluid Proteins ◽  
Expression Of Genes ◽  
Genes Encoding ◽  
And Behavior

In many animals, females respond to mating with changes in physiology and behavior that are triggered by molecules transferred by males during mating. InDrosophila melanogaster, proteins in the seminal fluid are responsible for important female postmating responses, including temporal changes in egg production, elevated feeding rates and activity levels, reduced sexual receptivity, and activation of the immune system. It is unclear to what extent these changes are mutually beneficial to females and males or instead represent male manipulation. Here we use an experimental evolution approach in which females are randomly paired with a single male each generation, eliminating any opportunity for competition for mates or mate choice and thereby aligning the evolutionary interests of the sexes. After >150 generations of evolution, males from monogamous populations elicited a weaker postmating stimulation of egg production and activity than males from control populations that evolved with a polygamous mating system. Males from monogamous populations did not differ from males from polygamous populations in their ability to induce refractoriness to remating in females, but they were inferior to polygamous males in sperm competition. Mating-responsive genes in both the female abdomen and head showed a dampened response to mating with males from monogamous populations. Males from monogamous populations also exhibited lower expression of genes encoding seminal fluid proteins, which mediate the female response to mating. Together, these results demonstrate that the female postmating response, and the male molecules involved in eliciting this response, are shaped by ongoing sexual conflict.

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