scholarly journals Ejaculate-mediated paternal effects: evidence, mechanisms and evolutionary implications

Reproduction ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 157 (4) ◽  
pp. R109-R126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan P Evans ◽  
Alastair J Wilson ◽  
Andrea Pilastro ◽  
Francisco Garcia-Gonzalez
Keyword(s):  
Dna Sequence ◽  
Sperm Cell ◽  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Seminal Fluid ◽  
Complex Trait ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Haploid Genome ◽  
Paternal Effects ◽  
Induced Changes

Despite serving the primary objective of ensuring that at least one sperm cell reaches and fertilises an ovum, the male ejaculate (i.e. spermatozoa and seminal fluid) is a compositionally complex ‘trait’ that can respond phenotypically to subtle changes in conditions. In particular, recent research has shown that environmentally and genetically induced changes to ejaculates can have implications for offspring traits that are independent of the DNA sequence encoded into the sperm’s haploid genome. In this review, we compile evidence from several disciplines and numerous taxonomic systems to reveal the extent of such ejaculate-mediated paternal effects (EMPEs). We consider a number of environmental and genetic factors that have been shown to impact offspring phenotypes via ejaculates, and where possible, we highlight the putative mechanistic pathways by which ejaculates can act as conduits for paternal effects. We also highlight how females themselves can influence EMPEs, and in some cases, how maternally derived sources of variance may confound attempts to test for EMPEs. Finally, we consider a range of putative evolutionary implications of EMPEs and suggest a number of potentially useful approaches for exploring these further. Overall, our review confirms that EMPEs are both widespread and varied in their effects, although studies reporting their evolutionary effects are still in their infancy.

Burst swimming and its enzymatic correlates in the threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus): full-sib heritabilities

1998 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 680-688 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christophe Garenc ◽  
Frederick G Silversides ◽  
Helga Guderley
Keyword(s):  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Creatine Phosphokinase ◽  
Swimming Performance ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Considerable Influence ◽  
Paternal Effects ◽  
Threespine Sticklebacks ◽  
Burst Swimming ◽  
Intrafamilial Variability

Full-sib heritabilities of burst-swimming capacity and its enzymatic correlates were calculated in juvenile threespine sticklebacks, Gasterosteus aculeatus, from 25 families raised under constant laboratory conditions. Variation among families in burst-swimming performance, enzyme activities, body size, and condition of the juveniles was considerable. Estimates of full-sib heritabilities of absolute and relative burst-swimming performance decreased during ontogenesis, as they were higher for 2-month-old than for 3.6-month-old sticklebacks. This decline may reflect a decrease in the importance of paternal effects with age, as well as an increase in intrafamilial variability due to the existence of feeding or social hierarachies. Enzymatic correlates of burst-swimming performance measured in 3.6-month-old sticklebacks had higher full-sib heritabilities than burst-swimming performance itself, with the highest values found for cytochrome c oxidase, followed by lactate dehydrogenase and then phosphofructokinase and creatine phosphokinase. These results suggest that genetic factors may have a considerable influence upon burst-swimming performance and muscle metabolic capacities of juvenile threespine sticklebacks, but that this influence may be tempered by biotic interactions.

scholarly journals A Guide to the Short, Long and Circular RNAs in Hypertension and Cardiovascular Disease

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 3666
Author(s):  
Priscilla R. Prestes ◽  
Michelle C. Maier ◽  
Bradley A. Woods ◽  
Fadi J. Charchar
Keyword(s):  
Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Messenger Rna ◽  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Gene Expression Regulation ◽  
Seminal Fluid ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Review Article ◽  
Circular Rnas ◽  
Non Coding Rnas ◽  
Artery Disease

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in adults in developed countries. CVD encompasses many diseased states, including hypertension, coronary artery disease and atherosclerosis. Studies in animal models and human studies have elucidated the contribution of many genetic factors, including non-coding RNAs. Non-coding RNAs are RNAs not translated into protein, involved in gene expression regulation post-transcriptionally and implicated in CVD. Of these, circular RNAs (circRNAs) and microRNAs are relevant. CircRNAs are created by the back-splicing of pre-messenger RNA and have been underexplored as contributors to CVD. These circRNAs may also act as biomarkers of human disease, as they can be extracted from whole blood, plasma, saliva and seminal fluid. CircRNAs have recently been implicated in various disease processes, including hypertension and other cardiovascular disease. This review article will explore the promising and emerging roles of circRNAs as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets in CVD, in particular hypertension.

Processes and magnitude of CO2, CH4, and N2O fluxes from liming of Australian acidic soils: a review

Soil Research ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 47 (8) ◽  
pp. 747 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. L. Page ◽  
D. E. Allen ◽  
R. C. Dalal ◽  
W. Slattery
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Soils ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Carbon Accounting ◽  
Accounting System ◽  
Biological Processes ◽  
Recent Approach ◽  
Tier 1 ◽  
Ch4 And N2o ◽  
Induced Changes

Increases in soil acidification have led to large increases in the application of aglime to Australian agricultural soils. The addition of aglime has the potential to increase greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions due to the release of CO2 during the chemical dissolution of aglime and due to pH-induced changes to soil biological processes. Currently, Australia’s GHG accounting system assumes that all the carbon contained in aglime is released to the atmosphere during dissolution in accordance with the Tier 1 methodology of the IPCC. However, a recent approach by TO West and AC McBride has questioned this assumption, hypothesising that a proportion of the carbon from riverine-transported aglime may be sequestered in seawater. In addition, there is presently no capacity within Australia’s carbon accounting system to quantify changes to GHG emissions from lime-induced changes to soil biological processes. Therefore, the primary objective of this review was to examine the chemical and biological processes occurring during the application of aglime and the subsequent fluxes in CO2, N2O, and CH4 from soil, with particular reference to the Australian environment. Estimates for CO2 emissions from aglime application in Australia using the contrasting methodologies of the IPCC and West and McBride were compared. Using the methodology of the IPCC it was determined that from the aglime applied in Australia in 2002, 0.995 Tg of CO2 would have been emitted, whereas this figure was reduced to 0.659–0.860 Tg of CO2 using the methodology of West and McBride. However, the accuracy of these estimates is currently limited by poor understanding of the manner in which aglime moves within the Australian landscapes. In addition, there are only a very small number of Australian studies that have examined the effect of aglime on GHG emissions due to changes in soil biological processes, limiting the ability of Australian modellers to accurately incorporate these processes within the carbon accounting system.

scholarly journals Short-term variation in sperm competition causes sperm-mediated epigenetic effects on early offspring performance in the zebrafish

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1785) ◽  
pp. 20140422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne Zajitschek ◽  
Cosima Hotzy ◽  
Felix Zajitschek ◽  
Simone Immler
Keyword(s):  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Paternal Effects ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Offspring Performance ◽  
Lower Survival Rate ◽  
Epigenetic Effects ◽  
Rapid Responses ◽  
Short Period

The inheritance of non-genetic factors is increasingly seen to play a major role in ecology and evolution. While the causes and consequences of epigenetic effects transmitted from the mother to the offspring have received ample attention, much less is known about how variation in the condition of the father affects the offspring. Here, we manipulated the intensity of sperm competition experienced by male zebrafish Danio rerio to investigate the potential for sperm-mediated epigenetic effects over a relatively short period of time. We found that the rapid responses of males to varying intensity of sperm competition not only affected sperm traits as shown previously, but also the performance of the resulting offspring. We observed that males exposed to high intensity of sperm competition produced faster swimming and more motile sperm, and sired offspring that hatched over a narrower time frame but exhibited a lower survival rate than males exposed to low intensity of sperm competition. Our results provide striking evidence for short-term paternal effects and the possible fitness consequences of such sperm-mediated non-genetic factors not only for the resulting offspring but also for the female.

scholarly journals Heritability of Gestational Weight Gain – A Swedish Register-Based Twin Study

2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 410-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elina Scheers Andersson ◽  
Karri Silventoinen ◽  
Per Tynelius ◽  
Ellen A. Nohr ◽  
Thorkild I. A. Sørensen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Gestational Weight Gain ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Complex Trait ◽  
Complete Data ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Linkage Data ◽  
Gestational Weight

Gestational weight gain (GWG) is a complex trait involving intrauterine environmental, maternal environmental, and genetic factors. However, the extent to which these factors contribute to the total variation in GWG is unclear. We therefore examined the genetic and environmental influences on the variation in GWG in the first and second pregnancy in monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twin mother-pairs. Further, we explored if any co-variance existed between factors influencing the variation in GWG of the mothers’ first and second pregnancies. By using Swedish nationwide record-linkage data, we identified 694 twin mother-pairs with complete data on their first pregnancy and 465 twin mother-pairs with complete data on their second pregnancy during 1982–2010. For a subanalysis, 143 twin mother-pairs had complete data on two consecutive pregnancies during the study period. We used structural equation modeling (SEM) to assess the contribution of genetic, shared, and unique environmental factors to the variation in GWG. A bivariate Cholesky decomposition model was used for the subanalysis. We found that genetic factors explained 43% (95% CI: 36–51%) of the variation in GWG in the first pregnancy and 26% (95% CI: 16–36%) in the second pregnancy. The remaining variance was explained by unique environmental factors. Both overlapping and distinct genetic and unique environmental factors influenced GWG in the first and the second pregnancy. This study showed that GWG has a moderate heritability, suggesting that a large part of the variation in the trait can be explained by unique environmental factors.

Effects of male and female age on mating success in Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akimasa Morita ◽  
Mohammad Shaef Ullah ◽  
Reo Sugawara ◽  
Tetsuo Gotoh
Keyword(s):  
Tetranychus Urticae ◽  
Male Fertility ◽  
Seminal Fluid ◽  
Female Offspring ◽  
Paternal Effects ◽  
Female Age ◽  
Male Age ◽  
Virgin Male ◽  
Tetranychus Urticae Koch ◽  
Mating Time

Females of most arthropods undergo multiple matings, most often with different males (polyandry) but sometimes with the same male (repeated matings). Arthropod seminal fluid contains components that are known to stimulate their fecundity and fertility. In spider mites, much is known about the paternal effects on offspring phenotypes, but nothing is known about how the age of males affects their fertility. In Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae), the female offspring ratio is known to decrease with time. Here, we attempted to clarify whether the decrease is due to sperm deletion or a decrease in male fertility ability with age. Female age had significantly increase the fecundity. Older virgin females that mated with virgin males produced fewer female offspring. Female age at mating was negatively related to the mating time (= copulation time, sec) but not to the premating time (sec) after introduction of a virgin male. The mating time tended to decrease with increasing age at mating. Male fertility defined as the proportion of female offspring produced, and male fertility declines with male age and number of matings, even no female offspring produced in some cases. These results suggest that increased male age at mating is associated with sperm depletion, which in turn affects the number of progeny as well as the phenotype of the progeny in the subsequent generation.

Genetics of Depression

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas F. Levinson ◽  
Walter E. Nichols
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Complex Trait ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Adverse Life Events ◽  
Major Depressive ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Increase Risk ◽  
And Function

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common and heterogeneous complex trait. Twin heritability is 35%–40%, perhaps higher in severe/recurrent cases. Adverse life events (particularly during childhood) increase risk. Current evidence suggests some overlap in genetic factors among MDD, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Large genome-wide association studies (GWAS) are now proving successful. Polygenic effects of common SNPs are substantial. Findings implicate genes with effects on synaptic development and function, including two obesity-associated genes (NEGR1 and OLFM4), but not previous “candidate genes.” It can now be expected that larger GWAS samples will produce additional associations that shed new light on MDD genetics.

scholarly journals Can paternal effects via seminal fluid contribute to the evolution of polyandry?

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. 20200680
Author(s):  
Leigh W. Simmons ◽  
Maxine Lovegrove
Keyword(s):  
Seminal Fluid ◽  
Field Cricket ◽  
Embryo Viability ◽  
Paternal Effects ◽  
Offspring Performance ◽  
Embryo Survival ◽  
Single Male ◽  
Genetic Components ◽  
Full Effect ◽  
Evolution Of Polyandry

Genetic benefits from mating with multiple males are thought to favour the evolution of polyandry. However, recent evidence suggests that non-genetic paternal effects via seminal fluid might contribute to the observed effects of polyandry on offspring performance. Here, we test this hypothesis using the field cricket Teleogryllus oceanicus . Using interference RNA, we first show that at least one seminal fluid protein is essential for embryo survival. We then show that polyandrous females mated to three different males produced embryos with higher pre-hatching viability than did monandrous females mated with the same male three times. Pseudo-polyandrous females that obtained sperm and seminal fluid from a single male and seminal fluid from two additional males had embryos with viabilities intermediate between monandrous and polyandrous females. Our results suggest either that ejaculate mediated paternal effects on embryo viability have both genetic and non-genetic components, or that seminal fluids transferred by castrated males provide only a subset of proteins contained within the normal ejaculate, and are unable to exert their full effect on embryo viability.

scholarly journals Nongenetic paternal effects via seminal fluid

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 403-411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leigh W. Simmons ◽  
Maxine Lovegrove
Keyword(s):  
Seminal Fluid ◽  
Paternal Effects

scholarly journals Distinct Preflowering Drought Tolerance Strategies of Sorghum bicolor Genotype RTx430 Revealed by Subcellular Protein Profiling

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (24) ◽  
pp. 9706
Author(s):  
Aaron J. Ogden ◽  
Shadan Abdali ◽  
Kristin M. Engbrecht ◽  
Mowei Zhou ◽  
Pubudu P. Handakumbura
Keyword(s):  
Drought Tolerance ◽  
Sorghum Bicolor ◽  
Complex Trait ◽  
Protein Profiling ◽  
Protein Profiles ◽  
Aba Metabolism ◽  
Drought Tolerant ◽  
Shock Proteins ◽  
Induced Changes ◽  
Wax Production

Drought is the largest stress affecting agricultural crops, resulting in substantial reductions in yield. Plant adaptation to water stress is a complex trait involving changes in hormone signaling, physiology, and morphology. Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is a C4 cereal grass; it is an agricultural staple, and it is particularly drought-tolerant. To better understand drought adaptation strategies, we compared the cytosolic- and organelle-enriched protein profiles of leaves from two Sorghum bicolor genotypes, RTx430 and BTx642, with differing preflowering drought tolerances after 8 weeks of growth under water limitation in the field. In agreement with previous findings, we observed significant drought-induced changes in the abundance of multiple heat shock proteins and dehydrins in both genotypes. Interestingly, our data suggest a larger genotype-specific drought response in protein profiles of organelles, while cytosolic responses are largely similar between genotypes. Organelle-enriched proteins whose abundance significantly changed exclusively in the preflowering drought-tolerant genotype RTx430 upon drought stress suggest multiple mechanisms of drought tolerance. These include an RTx430-specific change in proteins associated with ABA metabolism and signal transduction, Rubisco activation, reactive oxygen species scavenging, flowering time regulation, and epicuticular wax production. We discuss the current understanding of these processes in relation to drought tolerance and their potential implications.

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