What is a paternal effect?

2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (10) ◽  
pp. 554-559 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela J. Crean ◽  
Russell Bonduriansky
Keyword(s):  
Genetics ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 140 (1) ◽  
pp. 219-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
G K Yasuda ◽  
G Schubiger ◽  
B T Wakimoto

Abstract The vast majority of known male sterile mutants of Drosophila melanogaster fail to produce mature sperm or mate properly. The ms(3) K81(1) mutation is one of a rare class of male sterile mutations in which sterility is caused by developmental arrest after sperm entry into the egg. Previous studies showed that males homozygous for the K81(1) mutation produce progeny that arrest at either of two developmental stages. Most embryos arrest during early nuclear cycles, whereas the remainder are haploid embryos that arrest at a later stage. This description of the mutant phenotype was based on the analysis of a single allele isolated from a natural population. It was therefore unclear whether this unique paternal effect phenotype reflected the normal function of the gene. The genetic analysis and initial molecular characterization of five new K81 mutations are described here. Hemizygous conditions and heteroallelic combinations of the alleles were associated with male sterility caused by defects in embryogenesis. No other mutant phenotypes were observed. Thus, the K81 gene acted as a strict paternal effect gene. Moreover, the biphasic pattern of developmental arrest was common to all the alleles. These findings strongly suggested that the unusual embryonic phenotype caused by all five new alleles was due to loss of function of the K81+ gene. The K81 gene is therefore the first clear example of a strict paternal effect gene in Drosophila. Based on the embryonic lethal phenotypes, we suggest that the K81+ gene encodes a sperm-specific product that is essential for the male pronucleus to participate in the first few embryonic nuclear divisions.


Development ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 122 (1) ◽  
pp. 391-404 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Browning ◽  
S. Strome

The paternal-effect embryonic-lethal gene, spe-11, is required for normal development of early C. elegans embryos. Spe-11 embryos fail to complete meiosis, form a weak eggshell, fail to orient properly the first mitotic spindle, and fail to undergo cytokinesis. Here we report cloning and sequencing of the spe-11 gene, which encodes a novel protein. As predicted by the paternal-effect mutant phenotype, the gene is expressed during spermatogenesis but is not detectable in females undergoing oogenesis, and the protein is present in mature sperm. To investigate whether SPE-11's essential function is during spermatogenesis or whether sperm-delivered SPE-11 functions in the newly fertilized embryo, we engineered animals to supply SPE-11 to the embryo through the oocyte rather than through the sperm. We found that maternal expression is sufficient for embryonic viability. This result demonstrates that SPE-11 is not required during spermatogenesis, and suggests that SPE-11 is a sperm-supplied factor that participates directly in development of the early embryo. In contrast to the many known maternal factors required for embryogenesis, SPE-11 is the first paternally contributed factor to be genetically identified and molecularly characterized.


2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (8) ◽  
pp. e1000539 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen S. C. Bushell ◽  
Andrea Ecker ◽  
Timm Schlegelmilch ◽  
David Goulding ◽  
Gordon Dougan ◽  
...  

Twin Research ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 212-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Lichtenstein ◽  
Bengt Källén ◽  
Max Köster

AbstractPrevious research has provided evidence for a genetic effect in monozygotic twinning, indicated by an increased risk for monozygotic women to have monozygotic offspring. However, since the biological mechanism for this trait is unknown, it is not clear if there exists a paternal inheritance. In this study we investigated twin pregnancies in offspring born in 1941–1996 to male twins in the Swedish Twin Registry and population controls born in 1926–1980. In total 4 225 331 offspring, of which 89 286 were twins, were studied. There was neither an increase in the probability for monozygotic men to have like-sexed twin offspring risk ratio (RR = 0.95; 95% CI = 0.77–1.13) nor an increase in the estimated number of monozygotic twin births. Thus, there is no evidence for a paternal effect on monozygotic twinning, suggesting that the gene(s) increasing the liability for division of the embryo are expressed in the mother and not in the fertilised egg.


1999 ◽  
Vol 5 (3-4) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Soltész

On the base of observations performed during a period of 20 years the blooming characters-of apple varieties and their progenies the following statements are actual. In blooming dynamics there was no difference between paternal and maternal effects. In the assignment to blooming time groups, the paternal effect prevailed whereas in the tendency of flower initiation on long shoots maternal parent was more decisive. Varieties as 'Golden Delicious'. 'Jonathan', 'Red Delicious', 'Rome Beauty' and 'Staymared' and their respective, naturally raised mutants did not differ in blooming characters. The possibility of predicting the relation to blooming time groups of early (July, August) ripening individuals is low, whereas late (September. October) ripening ones have a good chance to be medium late in blooming time.  


Author(s):  
Tamie Guibu de Almeida ◽  
Rodolfo Daniel Mingoti ◽  
Letícia Signori de Castro ◽  
Adriano Felipe Perez Siqueira ◽  
Thais Rose dos Santos Hamilton ◽  
...  

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