Accessory gland proteins of males in the male-diphenic ant Cardiocondyla obscurior

2018 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 276-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marion Fuessl ◽  
Carolina G. Santos ◽  
Klaus Hartfelder ◽  
Alexandra Schrempf ◽  
Jürgen Heinze
Keyword(s):  
Accessory Gland ◽  
Accessory Gland Proteins

Offsetting Effects of Wolbachia Infection and Heat Shock on Sperm Production inDrosophila simulans: Analyses of Fecundity, Fertility and Accessory Gland Proteins

Genetics ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 155 (1) ◽  
pp. 167-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rhonda R Snook ◽  
Sophia Y Cleland ◽  
Mariana F Wolfner ◽  
Timothy L Karr
Keyword(s):  
Heat Shock ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Adult Life ◽  
Reproductive Factors ◽  
Male Gamete ◽  
Wolbachia Infection ◽  
Accessory Gland ◽  
Sperm Production ◽  
Accessory Gland Proteins ◽  
Mating Conditions

AbstractInfection in Drosophila simulans with the endocellular symbiont Wolbachia pipientis results in egg lethality caused by failure to properly initiate diploid development (cytoplasmic incompatibility, CI). The relationship between Wolbachia infection and reproductive factors influencing male fitness has not been well examined. Here we compare infected and uninfected strains of D. simulans for (1) sperm production, (2) male fertility, and (3) the transfer and processing of two accessory gland proteins, Acp26Aa or Acp36De. Infected males produced significantly fewer sperm cysts than uninfected males over the first 10 days of adult life, and infected males, under varied mating conditions, had lower fertility compared to uninfected males. This fertility effect was due to neither differences between infected and uninfected males in the transfer and subsequent processing of accessory gland proteins by females nor to the presence of Wolbachia in mature sperm. We found that heat shock, which is known to decrease CI expression, increases sperm production to a greater extent in infected compared to uninfected males, suggesting a possible link between sperm production and heat shock. Given these results, the roles Wolbachia and heat shock play in mediating male gamete production may be important parameters for understanding the dynamics of infection in natural populations.

scholarly journals Comparative genomics identifies male accessory gland proteins in five Glossina species

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muna F. Abry ◽  
Kelvin M. Kimenyi ◽  
Daniel K Masiga ◽  
Benard W. Kulohoma
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Genomics ◽  
Reproductive Cycle ◽  
Sequence Data ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Accessory Gland ◽  
Tsetse Fly ◽  
Whole Genome Sequence ◽  
Reproductive Proteins ◽  
Accessory Gland Proteins ◽  
Accessory Glands

Accessory gland proteins (ACPs) are important reproductive proteins produced by the male accessory glands (MAGs) of most insect species. These proteins are essential for male insect fertility, and are transferred alongside semen to females during copulation. ACPs are poorly characterized in Glossina species (tsetse fly), the principal vector of the parasite that causes life-threatening Human African Trypanosomiasis and Animal trypanosomiasis in endemic regions in Africa. The tsetse fly has a peculiar reproductive cycle because of the absence of oviposition. Females mate once and store sperm in a spermathecal, and produce a single fully developed larva at a time that pupates within minutes of exiting their uterus. This slow reproductive cycle, compared to other insects, significantly restricts reproduction to only 3 to 6 larvae per female lifespan. This unique reproductive cycle is an attractive vector control strategy entry point. We exploit comparative genomics approaches to explore the diversity of ACPs in the recently available whole genome sequence data from five tsetse fly species ( Glossina morsitans, G. austeni, G. brevipalpis, G. pallidipes and G. fuscipes). We used previously described ACPs in Drosophila melanogaster and Anopheles gambiae as reference sequences. We identified 36, 27, 31, 29 and 33 diverse ACP orthologous genes in G. austeni, G. brevipalpis, G. fuscipes, G. pallidipes and G. morsitans genomes respectively, which we classified into 21 functional classes. Our findings provide genetic evidence of MAG proteins in five recently sequenced Glossina genomes. It highlights new avenues for molecular studies that evaluate potential field control strategies of these important vectors of human and animal disease.

scholarly journals Variation in sex peptide expression inD. melanogaster

2009 ◽  
Vol 91 (4) ◽  
pp. 237-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. T. SMITH ◽  
D. J. HOSKEN ◽  
R. H. FFRENCH-CONSTANT ◽  
N. WEDELL
Keyword(s):  
Significant Variation ◽  
Accessory Gland ◽  
Disruptive Selection ◽  
Accessory Gland Proteins ◽  
Expression Levels ◽  
Female Remating ◽  
Sex Peptide ◽  
Peptide Expression ◽  
Main Effects ◽  
Gene Expression Levels

SummaryMaleDrosophila melanogastertransfers many accessory-gland proteins to females during copulation. Sex peptide (SP) is one of these and one of its main effects is to decrease female remating propensity. To date, there has been no investigation of genetic variation in SP-gene expression levels, or if such potential variation directly influences female remating behaviour. We assessed both these possibilities and found significant variation in expression levels of the SP gene acrossD. melanogasterisolines. A non-linear association between SP expression levels and female remating delay suggestive of disruptive selection on expression levels was also documented. Finally, while some isolines were infected with the endosymbiontWolbachia, no association betweenWolbachiaand SP expression level was found.

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.

scholarly journals Rapid evolution of reproductive proteins in abalone and Drosophila

2006 ◽  
Vol 361 (1466) ◽  
pp. 261-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tami M Panhuis ◽  
Nathaniel L Clark ◽  
Willie J Swanson
Keyword(s):  
Protein Evolution ◽  
Sexual Conflict ◽  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Rapid Evolution ◽  
Theoretical Data ◽  
Pathogen Resistance ◽  
Accessory Gland ◽  
Female Reproductive Tract ◽  
Reproductive Proteins ◽  
Accessory Gland Proteins

Observations from different taxa, including plants, protozoa, insects and mammals, indicate that proteins involved in reproduction evolve rapidly. Several models of adaptive evolution have been proposed to explain this phenomenon, such as sexual conflict, sexual selection, self versus non-self recognition and pathogen resistance. Here we discuss the potential role of sexual conflict in the rapid evolution of reproductive genes in two different animal systems, abalone ( Haliotis ) and Drosophila . In abalone, we reveal how specific interacting sperm–egg proteins were identified and discuss this identification in the light of models for rapid protein evolution and speciation. For Drosophila , we describe the genomic approaches taken to identify male accessory gland proteins and female reproductive tract proteins. Patterns of protein evolution from both abalone and Drosophila support the predicted patterns of rapid protein evolution driven by sexual conflict. We stress however that other selective pressures may contribute to the rapid evolution that is observed. We conclude that the key to distinguishing between sexual conflict and other mechanisms of protein evolution will be an integration of genetic, experimental and theoretical data.

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