scholarly journals Multi-level analysis of reproduction in the Antarctic midge, Belgica antarctica, identifies female and male accessory gland products that are altered by larval stress and impact progeny viability

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey Finch ◽  
Sonya Nandyal ◽  
Carlie Perrieta ◽  
Benjamin Davies ◽  
Andrew J. Rosendale ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Storage Proteins ◽  
Adult Life ◽  
Accessory Gland ◽  
Specific Gene ◽  
Functional Studies ◽  
Accessory Glands ◽  
Belgica Antarctica ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe Antarctic midge, Belgica antarctica, is a wingless, non-biting midge endemic to Antarctica. Larval development requires at least two years, but adult life lasts only two weeks. The nonfeeding adults mate in swarms and females die shortly after oviposition. Eggs are suspended in a gel of unknown composition that is expressed from the female accessory gland. This project characterizes molecular mechanisms underlying reproduction in this midge by examining differential gene expression in whole males, females, and larvae, as well as in male and female accessory glands. Functional studies were used to assess the role of the gel encasing the eggs, as well as the impact of stress on reproductive biology. RNA-seq analyses revealed sex- and development-specific gene sets along with those associated with the accessory glands. Proteomic analyses were used to define the composition of the egg-containing gel, which is generated during multiple developmental stages and derived from both the accessory gland and other female organs. Functional studies indicate the gel provides a larval food source and thermal and dehydration buffer, all of which are critical for viability. Larval dehydration stress directly reduces production of storage proteins and key accessory gland components, a feature that impacts adult reproductive success. Modeling reveals that bouts of dehydration may significantly impact population growth. This work lays a foundation for further examination of reproduction in midges and provides new information related to general reproduction in dipterans. A key aspect is that reproduction and stress dynamics, currently understudied in polar organisms, are likely to prove critical for determining how climate change will alter survivability.

scholarly journals Multi-level analysis of reproduction in an Antarctic midge identifies female and male accessory gland products that are altered by larval stress and impact progeny viability

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey Finch ◽  
Sonya Nandyal ◽  
Carlie Perretta ◽  
Benjamin Davies ◽  
Andrew J. Rosendale ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Storage Proteins ◽  
Accessory Gland ◽  
Dehydration Stress ◽  
Specific Gene ◽  
Larval Food ◽  
Functional Studies ◽  
Accessory Glands ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe Antarctic midge, Belgica antarctica, is a wingless, non-biting midge endemic to Antarctica. Larval development requires at least 2 years, but adults live only 2 weeks. The nonfeeding adults mate in swarms and females die shortly after oviposition. Eggs are suspended in a gel of unknown composition that is expressed from the female accessory gland. This project characterizes molecular mechanisms underlying reproduction in this midge by examining differential gene expression in whole males, females, and larvae, as well as in male and female accessory glands. Functional studies were used to assess the role of the gel encasing the eggs, as well as the impact of stress on reproductive biology. RNA-seq analyses revealed sex- and development-specific gene sets along with those associated with the accessory glands. Proteomic analyses were used to define the composition of the egg-containing gel, which is generated during multiple developmental stages and derived from both the accessory gland and other female organs. Functional studies indicate the gel provides a larval food source as well as a buffer for thermal and dehydration stress. All of these function are critical to juvenile survival. Larval dehydration stress directly reduces production of storage proteins and key accessory gland components, a feature that impacts adult reproductive success. Modeling reveals that bouts of dehydration may have a significant impact on population growth. This work lays a foundation for further examination of reproduction in midges and provides new information related to general reproduction in dipterans. A key aspect of this work is that reproduction and stress dynamics, currently understudied in polar organisms, are likely to prove critical in determining how climate change will alter their survivability.

scholarly journals Rapid stress hardening in the Antarctic midge improves male fertility by increasing courtship success and preventing the decline of accessory gland proteins following cold exposure

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oluwaseun M. Ajayi ◽  
J.D. Gantz ◽  
Geoffrey Finch ◽  
Richard E. Lee ◽  
David L. Denlinger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cold Exposure ◽  
Accessory Gland ◽  
Egg Viability ◽  
Accessory Gland Proteins ◽  
Rapid Hardening ◽  
Direct Exposure ◽  
Belgica Antarctica ◽  
Courtship Success ◽  
Male Activity ◽  
The Antarctic

Rapid hardening is a process that quickly improves animal performance following exposure to a potentially damaging stress. Features of reproduction can be improved by rapid hardening, but little is known about how rapid hardening may contribute to physiological responses in the cold environment of Antarctica. In this study of the Antarctic midge, Belgica antarctica (Diptera, Chironomidae), we examine how rapid hardening in response to dehydration (RDH) or cold (RCH) improves male pre- and post-copulatory function related to fertility when the insects are subsequently subjected to a damaging cold exposure. Neither RDH nor RCH improved survival in response to lethal cold stress, but male activity following sublethal cold exposure was enhanced. Both RCH and RDH improved mating success of males compared to those subjected directly to a sublethal bout of cold. Egg viability decreased following direct exposure to sublethal cold, but improved following RCH and RDH. Sublethal cold exposure reduced expression of four accessory gland proteins, while expression remained high in males exposed to RCH. Though rapid hardening may be cryptic in males, this study shows that it can be revealed by pre- and post-copulatory interactions with females.

Reproductive behaviour and physiology of Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). III. Histogenetic changes in the internal genitalia, mesenteron, and cuticle during sexual maturation

1976 ◽  
Vol 54 (6) ◽  
pp. 990-1002 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. H. Gerber
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Maturation ◽  
Adult Life ◽  
Tenebrio Molitor ◽  
Reproductive Behaviour ◽  
Accessory Gland ◽  
Peritrophic Membrane ◽  
Secretory Cells ◽  
Accessory Glands ◽  
Internal Genitalia ◽  
Day By Day

The histogenic changes in the internal genitalia and mesenteron and the hardening and darkening of the cuticle during the first days of adult life in Tenebrio molitor L. are described. At emergence, the testes contain mature spermatozoa and the ovaries possess small oocytes. During the first 3 days, the shape, size, appearance, and staining characteristics of the secretory cells of the lateral oviducts, female accessory gland, tube accessory glands, bean-shaped accessory glands, and glandular region of the vasa deferentia change. Similar changes were not seen in the seminal vesicles and spermatheca. All of the secondary sex glands are filled with secretion by day 4. In the midgut, changes occur in the size, shape, and appearance of the epithelial cells by the 3rd day, and a peritrophic membrane is secreted during days 2 and 3. Most adults do not begin to feed until after the 3rd day. By day 3, the hardening and darkening of the cuticle are completed. All of these changes clearly are associated with adult maturation, especially sexual maturation, and most or all of the them must take place before the adults are able to copulate and oviposit.

scholarly journals Mating Induces Switch From Hormone-Dependent to – Independent Steroid Receptor-Mediated Growth in Drosophila Prostate-Like Cells

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Leiblich ◽  
Josephine E. E. U. Hellberg ◽  
Aashika Sekar ◽  
Carina Gandy ◽  
Siamak Redhai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Progression ◽  
Seminal Fluid ◽  
Sexual Experience ◽  
Adult Life ◽  
Accessory Gland ◽  
Accessory Glands ◽  
Morphogenetic Protein ◽  
A Cell ◽  
Cell Type Specific ◽  
Bmp Signalling

AbstractMale reproductive glands like the mammalian prostate and the paired Drosophila melanogaster accessory glands secrete seminal fluid components that enhance fecundity. In humans, the prostate grows throughout adult life, stimulated by environmentally regulated endocrine and local androgens. We previously showed that in each fly accessory gland, secondary cells (SCs) and their nuclei also grow in adults, a process enhanced by mating and controlled by bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signalling. Here we demonstrate that BMP-mediated SC growth is dependent on the receptor for the developmental steroid, ecdysone, whose concentration reflects socio-sexual experience in adults. BMP signalling regulates ecdysone receptor (EcR) levels post-transcriptionally, partly via EcR’s N-terminus. Nuclear growth in virgin males is ecdysone-dependent. However, mating activates genome endoreplication to drive additional BMP-mediated nuclear growth via a cell type-specific form of hormone-independent EcR signalling. In virgin males with low ecdysone levels, this mechanism ensures resources are conserved. However, by switching to hormone-independence after mating, this control is overridden to hyper-activate growth of secretory secondary cells. Our data suggest parallels between this physiological, behaviour-induced switch and altered pathological signalling associated with prostate cancer progression.

scholarly journals Rapid stress hardening in the Antarctic midge improves male fertility by increasing courtship success and preventing decline of accessory gland proteins following cold exposure

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oluwaseun M. Ajayi ◽  
J. D. Gantz ◽  
Geoffrey Finch ◽  
Richard E. Lee Jr. ◽  
David L. Denlinger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cold Exposure ◽  
Accessory Gland ◽  
Egg Viability ◽  
Accessory Gland Proteins ◽  
Rapid Hardening ◽  
Direct Exposure ◽  
Belgica Antarctica ◽  
Courtship Success ◽  
Male Activity ◽  
The Antarctic

Rapid hardening is a process that quickly improves an animal's performance following exposure to a potentially damaging stress. In this study of the Antarctic midge, Belgica antarctica (Diptera, Chironomidae), we examine how rapid hardening in response to dehydration (RDH) or cold (RCH) improves male pre- and post-copulatory function when the insects are subsequently subjected to a damaging cold exposure. Neither RDH nor RCH improved survival in response to lethal cold stress, but male activity and mating success following sublethal cold exposure was enhanced. Egg viability decreased following direct exposure of the mating males to sublethal cold but improved following RCH and RDH. Sublethal cold exposure reduced expression of four accessory gland proteins, while expression remained high in males exposed to RCH. Though rapid hardening may be cryptic in males, this study shows that it can be revealed by pre- and post-copulatory interactions with females.

Male sexual maturation of the tsetse fliesglossina morsitanswestwood andg. austeniNewstead (Dipt., Glossinidae) in relation to blood feeding

1976 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 389-399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Woodbridge A. Foster
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Maturation ◽  
Adult Life ◽  
Blood Feeding ◽  
Accessory Gland ◽  
Copulation Duration ◽  
Tsetse Flies ◽  
Sexual Performance ◽  
Glossina Morsitans ◽  
Accessory Glands ◽  
Gland Development

AbstractThe effect of blood feeding on male sexual maturation in the tsetse fliesGlossina morsitansWestwood andG. austeniNewstead was studied by comparing copulation and insemination performance of unfed and fed males during the first five days of adult life. These species differed conspicuously, both in the course of maturation and in the influence of blood feeding on it.G. morsitansmales copulated before they could inseminate, and even fed flies did not all inseminate until day 3; unfed flies showed retarded insemination performance by day 2, before copulation performance declined.G. austenimales were less sexually responsive at first, but they nearly always inseminated when they did copulate, even on day 1. Unfed flies showed less increase in copulation performance by day 4, but no decline. Accessory glands were larger inG. austenithanG. morsitansat emergence, and in unfed flies of both species they ceased to grow after day 3. Both accessory gland size and copulation duration (beyond a minimum duration) were related to insemination success in a general way, though copulation duration was quite variable. Vertebrate blood apparently provides male tsetse with specific nutrients or stimuli which promote sexual performance, in addition to basic energy and water requirements. Feeding probably affects insemination inG. morsitansthrough accessory gland development, allowing more complete spermatophore formation and sperm transfer, but its mode of action onG. austenisexual responsiveness is not evident.

scholarly journals Impact of the X chromosome and sex on regulatory variation

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly R Kukurba ◽  
Princy Parsana ◽  
Kevin S Smith ◽  
Zachary Zappala ◽  
David A Knowles ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
X Chromosome ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Genome Wide Association Study ◽  
Specific Gene ◽  
Specific Expression ◽  
Regulatory Variation ◽  
Regulatory Variants ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
The Impact

The X chromosome, with its unique mode of inheritance, contributes to differences between the sexes at a molecular level, including sex-specific gene expression and sex-specific impact of genetic variation. We have conducted an analysis of the impact of both sex and the X chromosome on patterns of gene expression identified through transcriptome sequencing of whole blood from 922 individuals. We identified that genes on the X chromosome are more likely to have sex-specific expression compared to the autosomal genes. Furthermore, we identified a depletion of regulatory variants on the X chromosome, especially among genes under high selective constraint. In contrast, we discovered an enrichment of sex-specific regulatory variants on the X chromosome. To resolve the molecular mechanisms underlying such effects, we generated and connected sex-specific chromatin accessibility to sex-specific expression and regulatory variation. As sex-specific regulatory variants can inform sex differences in genetic disease prevalence, we have integrated our data with genome-wide association study data for multiple immune traits and to identify traits with significant sex biases. Together, our study provides genome-wide insight into how the X chromosome and sex shape human gene regulation and disease.

scholarly journals Trehalase from male accessory gland of an insect, Tenebrio molitor. cDNA sequencing and developmental profile of the gene expression

1992 ◽  
Vol 288 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Takiguchi ◽  
T Niimi ◽  
Z H Su ◽  
T Yaginuma
Keyword(s):  
Tenebrio Molitor ◽  
Northern Blotting ◽  
Accessory Gland ◽  
Specific Gene ◽  
Cdna Sequencing ◽  
Gene Expressions ◽  
Accessory Glands ◽  
Stage Specificity ◽  
Mealworm Beetle ◽  
Rabbit Small Intestine

A cDNA of alpha alpha-trehalase (EC 3.2.1.28) from a cDNA library of male bean-shaped accessory gland of the mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor, has been isolated by the homology screening approach. Sequence analysis of the cDNA (1830 bp) revealed that the cDNA encoded a protein of 555 amino acids with a calculated M(r) of 64457. The deduced amino acid sequence had significant similarities to rabbit small intestine and Escherichia coli trehalases. Northern blotting and semi-quantitative PCR analyses revealed that a trehalase transcript with about 2.0 kb was abundant in bean-shaped accessory glands. In the glands, the amount of trehalase transcript increased from 1 to 2 days after adult ecdysis. These tissue- and stage-specific gene expressions of trehalase corresponded to the tissue- and stage-specificity of trehalase activity.

The Impact of Ultraviolet Radiation on Barrier Function in Human Skin: Molecular Mechanisms and Topical Therapeutics

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (40) ◽  
pp. 5503-5511 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdulaziz Alhasaniah ◽  
Michael J. Sherratt ◽  
Catherine A. O'Neill
Keyword(s):  
Ultraviolet Radiation ◽  
Barrier Function ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Transepidermal Water Loss ◽  
Protective Effects ◽  
Barrier Dysfunction ◽  
Epidermal Barrier ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Terrestrial Mammals ◽  
The Impact

A competent epidermal barrier is crucial for terrestrial mammals. This barrier must keep in water and prevent entry of noxious stimuli. Most importantly, the epidermis must also be a barrier to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) from the sunlight. Currently, the effects of ultraviolet radiation on epidermal barrier function are poorly understood. However, studies in mice and more limited work in humans suggest that the epidermal barrier becomes more permeable, as measured by increased transepidermal water loss, in response UVR, at doses sufficiently high to induce erythema. The mechanisms may include disturbance in the organisation of lipids in the stratum corneum (the outermost layer of the epidermis) and reduction in tight junction function in the granular layer (the first living layer of the skin). By contrast, suberythemal doses of UVR appear to have positive effects on epidermal barrier function. Topical sunscreens have direct and indirect protective effects on the barrier through their ability to block UV and also due to their moisturising or occlusive effects, which trap water in the skin, respectively. Some topical agents such as specific botanical extracts have been shown to prevent the loss of water associated with high doses of UVR. In this review, we discuss the current literature and suggest that the biology of UVR-induced barrier dysfunction, and the use of topical products to protect the barrier, are areas worthy of further investigation.

The Role of Vascular Aging in Atherosclerotic Plaque Development and Vulnerability

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (29) ◽  
pp. 3098-3111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Liberale ◽  
Giovanni G. Camici
Keyword(s):  
Atherosclerotic Plaque ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Plaque Burden ◽  
Vascular Aging ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Plaque Development ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Over Time

Background: The ongoing demographical shift is leading to an unprecedented aging of the population. As a consequence, the prevalence of age-related diseases, such as atherosclerosis and its thrombotic complications is set to increase in the near future. Endothelial dysfunction and vascular stiffening characterize arterial aging and set the stage for the development of cardiovascular diseases. Atherosclerotic plaques evolve over time, the extent to which these changes might affect their stability and predispose to sudden complications remains to be determined. Recent advances in imaging technology will allow for longitudinal prospective studies following the progression of plaque burden aimed at better characterizing changes over time associated with plaque stability or rupture. Oxidative stress and inflammation, firmly established driving forces of age-related CV dysfunction, also play an important role in atherosclerotic plaque destabilization and rupture. Several genes involved in lifespan determination are known regulator of redox cellular balance and pre-clinical evidence underlines their pathophysiological roles in age-related cardiovascular dysfunction and atherosclerosis. Objective: The aim of this narrative review is to examine the impact of aging on arterial function and atherosclerotic plaque development. Furthermore, we report how molecular mechanisms of vascular aging might regulate age-related plaque modifications and how this may help to identify novel therapeutic targets to attenuate the increased risk of CV disease in elderly people.

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