scholarly journals Drosophila melanogaster Y Chromosome Genes Affect Male Sensitivity to Microbial Infections

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 30
Author(s):  
Gloria Bartolo ◽  
Leandra O. Gonzalez ◽  
Anastasia Levitin ◽  
Mikhail Martchenko Shilman
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Y Chromosome ◽  
Microbial Pathogens ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Gastrointestinal Infections ◽  
Related Function ◽  
Microbial Infections ◽  
Wild Type Female ◽  
Increased Sensitivity

The genders of Drosophila melanogaster vary in their sensitivities to microbial pathogens. While many of the immunity-related genes are located on the X chromosome, the polymorphisms within the Y chromosome were also shown to affect the immunity of flies. In this study, we investigated the necessity of individual genes on the Y chromosome (Y-genes) for male sensitivity to microbes. We identified several Y-genes whose genetic inactivation either increases or decreases the sensitivity of males to gastrointestinal infections with fungal Saccharomyces cerevisiae and bacterial Serratia liquefaciens. Specifically, the loss of function mutations in fly kl-5 and Ppr-Y Y-genes lead to increased and decreased sensitivity of males to fungal challenge, respectively, compared to female sensitivity. In contrast, mutations in Drosophila Pp1-Y1, kl-5, kl-3, Ppr-Y, CCY, and FDY Y-genes lead to increased sensitivity of males to bacterial infection, compared to females. Moreover, while these Y-genes are necessary, the Y chromosome is not sufficient for the sensitivity of males to microbes, since the sensitivity of XXY females to fungal and bacterial challenges was not different from the sensitivity of wild-type female flies, compared to males. This study assigns a new immunity-related function to numerous Y-genes in D.melanogaster.

scholarly journals Somatic production of reactive oxygen species does not predict its production in sperm cells across Drosophila melanogaster lines

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Biz R. Turnell ◽  
Luisa Kumpitsch ◽  
Anne-Cécile Ribou ◽  
Klaus Reinhardt
Keyword(s):  
Reactive Oxygen Species ◽  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Reactive Oxygen ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Ros Production ◽  
Oxygen Species ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Ros Scavenging ◽  
Transport Chain

Abstract Objective Sperm ageing has major evolutionary implications but has received comparatively little attention. Ageing in sperm and other cells is driven largely by oxidative damage from reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by the mitochondria. Rates of organismal ageing differ across species and are theorized to be linked to somatic ROS levels. However, it is unknown whether sperm ageing rates are correlated with organismal ageing rates. Here, we investigate this question by comparing sperm ROS production in four lines of Drosophila melanogaster that have previously been shown to differ in somatic mitochondrial ROS production, including two commonly used wild-type lines and two lines with genetic modifications standardly used in ageing research. Results Somatic ROS production was previously shown to be lower in wild-type Oregon-R than in wild-type Dahomey flies; decreased by the expression of alternative oxidase (AOX), a protein that shortens the electron transport chain; and increased by a loss-of-function mutation in dj-1β, a gene involved in ROS scavenging. Contrary to predictions, we found no differences among these four lines in the rate of sperm ROS production. We discuss the implications of our results, the limitations of our study, and possible directions for future research.

Sex determination in the germ line of Drosophila melanogaster: activation of the gene Sex-lethal

Development ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 118 (3) ◽  
pp. 813-816 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Granadino ◽  
P. Santamaria ◽  
L. Sanchez
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Germ Cells ◽  
Germ Line ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Female Development ◽  
Pole Cell ◽  
Somatic Tissues ◽  
Wild Type Female ◽  
Sex Lethal ◽  
Pole Cell Transplantation

The germ line exhibits sexual dimorphism as do the somatic tissues. Cells with the 2X;2A chromosome constitution will follow the oogenic pathway and X;2A cells will develop into sperm. In both somatic and germ-line tissues, the sexual pathway chosen by the cells depends on the gene Sex-lethal (Sxl), whose function is continuously needed for female development. In the soma, the sex of the cells is autonomously determined by the X:A signal while, in the germ line, the sex is determined by cell autonomous (the X:A signal) and somatic inductive signals. Three X-linked genes have been identified, scute (sc), sisterless-a (sis-a) and runt (run), that determine the initial functional state of Sxl in the soma. Using pole cell transplantation, we have tested whether these genes are also needed to activate Sxl in the germ line. We found that germ cells simultaneously heterozygous for sc, sis-a, run and a deficiency for Sxl transplanted into wild-type female hosts develop into functional oocytes. We conclude that the genes sc, sis-a and run needed to activate Sxl in the soma seem not to be required to activate this gene in the germ line; therefore, the X:A signal would be made up by different genes in somatic and germ-line tissues. The Sxlf7M1/Sxlfc females do not have developed ovaries. We have shown that germ cells of this genotype transplanted into wild-type female hosts produce functional oocytes. We conclude that the somatic component of the gonads in Sxlf7M1/Sxlfc females is affected, and consequently germ cells do not develop.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

scholarly journals CRISPR Mutants of Three Y Chromosome Genes Suggest Gradual Evolution of Fertility Functions in Drosophila melanogaster

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yassi Hafezi ◽  
Samantha R. Sruba ◽  
Steven R. Tarrash ◽  
Mariana F. Wolfner ◽  
Andrew G. Clark
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Y Chromosome ◽  
Nonsynonymous Substitution ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Protein Coding ◽  
Repeat Elements ◽  
The Third ◽  
Gradual Evolution ◽  
Complex Functions ◽  
Lines Of Evidence

ABSTRACTGene-poor, repeat-rich regions of the genome are poorly understood and have been understudied due to technical challenges and the misconception that they are degenerating “junk”. Yet multiple lines of evidence indicate these regions may be an important source of variation that could drive adaptation and species divergence, particularly through regulation of fertility. The ∼40 Mb Y chromosome of Drosophila melanogaster contains only 16 known protein-coding genes and is highly repetitive and entirely heterochromatic. Most of the genes originated from duplication of autosomal genes and have reduced nonsynonymous substitution rates, suggesting functional constraint. We devised a genetic strategy for recovering and retaining stocks with sterile Y-linked mutations and combined it with CRISPR to create mutants with deletions that disrupt three Y-linked genes. Two genes, PRY and FDY, had no previously identified functions. We found that PRY mutant males are sub-fertile, but FDY mutant males had no detectable fertility defects. FDY, the newest known gene on the Y chromosome, may have fertility effects that are conditional or too subtle to detect. The third gene, CCY, had been predicted but never formally shown to be required for male fertility. CRISPR-targeting and RNAi of CCY caused male sterility. Surprisingly, however, our CCY mutants were sterile even in the presence of an extra wild-type Y chromosome, suggesting that perturbation of the Y chromosome can lead to dominant sterility. Our approach provides an important step toward understanding the complex functions of the Y chromosome and parsing which functions are accomplished by genes versus repeat elements.

scholarly journals Persistent one-way walking in a circular arena in Drosophila melanogaster Canton-S strain

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chengfeng Xiao ◽  
Shuang Qiu ◽  
R Meldrum Robertson
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Genetic Analysis ◽  
Y Chromosome ◽  
Genetic Background ◽  
Chromosome 2 ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Promoting Effect ◽  
Directional Change ◽  
Pleiotropic Function

AbstractWe describe persistent one-way walking of Drosophila melanogaster in a circular arena. Wild-type Canton-S adult flies walked in one direction, counter-clockwise or clockwise, for minutes, whereas white-eyed mutant w1118 changed directions frequently. Locomotion in the circular arena could be classified into four components: counter-clockwise walking, clockwise walking, nondirectional walking and pausing. Genetic analysis revealed that while wild-type genetic background was associated with reduced directional change and reduced numbers of one-way (including counterclockwise and clockwise) and nondirectional walks, the white (w+) locus promoted persistent oneway walking by increasing the maximal duration of one-way episodes. The promoting effect of w+ was further supported by the observations that (1) w+ duplicated to the Y chromosome, (2) four genomic copies of mini-white inserted on the autosomes, and (3) pan-neuronal overexpression of the White protein increased the maximal duration of one-way episodes, and that RNAi knockdown of w+ in the neurons decreased the maximal duration of one-way episodes. These results suggested a pleiotropic function of w+ in promoting persistent one-way walking in the circular arena.

scholarly journals Dual-layer transposon repression in heads of Drosophila melanogaster

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marius van den Beek ◽  
Bruno da Silva ◽  
Juliette Pouch ◽  
Mohammed el amine Ali Chaouche ◽  
Clément Carré ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Gene Silencing ◽  
Rna Extraction ◽  
Transcript Abundance ◽  
Transcriptional Gene Silencing ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Rna Molecules ◽  
Post Transcriptional Gene Silencing ◽  
Ping Pong

AbstractpiRNA-mediated repression of transposable elements (TE) in the germline limits the accumulation of heritable mutations caused by their transposition in the genome. It is not clear whether the piRNA pathway plays a functional role in adult, non-gonadal tissues in Drosophila melanogaster. To address this question, we first analyzed the small RNA content of adult Drosophila melanogaster heads. We found that varying amount of piRNA-sized, ping-pong positive molecules in heads correlates with contamination by gonadal tissue during RNA extraction, suggesting that most of piRNAs detected in head sequencing libraries originate from gonads. We next sequenced the heads of wild type and piwi mutants to address whether piwi loss of function would affect the low amount of piRNA-sized, ping-pong negative molecules that are still detected in heads hand-checked to avoid gonadal contamination. We find that loss of piwi does not affect significantly these 24-28 RNA molecules. Instead, we observe increased siRNA levels against the majority of Drosophila transposable element families. To determine the effect of this siRNA level change on transposon expression, we sequenced the transcriptome of wild type, piwi, dicer-2 and piwi, dicer-2 double-mutant fly heads. We find that RNA expression levels of the majority of TE families in piwi or dicer-2 mutants remain unchanged and that TE transcript abundance increases significantly only in piwi, dicer-2 double-mutants. These results lead us to suggest a dual-layer model for TE repression in adult somatic tissues. Piwi-mediated transcriptional gene silencing (TGS) established during embryogenesis constitutes the first layer of TE repression whereas Dicer-2-dependent siRNA-mediated post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS) provide a backup mechanism to repress TEs that escape silencing by piwi-mediated TGS.

Courtship-Like Tracking Behaviour in Wild-Type Female Drosophila melanogaster

1981 ◽  
Vol 36 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 475-483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Cook
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Control System ◽  
Functional Relationship ◽  
Reproductive Behaviour ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Wild Type Female ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Sex Specificity ◽  
Relationship Of

Abstract Both male and female Drosophila melanogaster possess systems which enable them to track other walking flies visually. Males use this system predominantly in courtship; females, when of sufficient age but still unmated, have been observed to track other flies, at rates of up to 18 bouts per hour. This behaviour is most conveniently studied in groups of females. Although similar to the courtship tracking of males, fem ale/female tracking lacks the “circling” component of courtship. The data suggest a functional relationship of female/female tracking to reproductive behaviour, although none has yet been identified. Bouts of tracking by females are most frequently terminated by the following female, especially when the target female remains motionless. Comparison of the tracking parameters of males and females has revealed differences in the velocity and pathlength of tracking bouts, and in the position of the fly with respect to the target. Males of Canton and Kapelle strains differ in the translatory component of their courtship tracking, but such a difference was not evident between females of these strains. Furthermore, tracking females do not allow their distance to the target to rise to that permissible in males, which suggests some sex-specificity in a part of the control system for tracking.

Abstract 15259: Breast Cancer and Heritable Pah Due to Bmpr2 Mutation: An Unexpected Discovery

Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (Suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Toro ◽  
Valerie Nadeau ◽  
Pierre Helie ◽  
Junichi Omura ◽  
Yann Grobs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Breast Cancer Patients ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Induced Tumors ◽  
Wild Type Female ◽  
Pulmonary Arterial ◽  
Inflammatory Signalling

Introduction: BMPR2 mutation is reported in 80% of familial PAH and 20% of idiopathic cases. Recently, a rat model of hereditary Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension with a BMPR2 loss-of-function mutation has been generated. Similarly to human, only around 20% of the rats spontaneously developed mild PAH. Unexpectedly, we observed that 20% (95%CI:12-28) of the 82 Bmpr2+/Δ71 rats (93% of females) versus 4% (95%CI:0-9)of the 84 age-matched wild type littermates spontaneously developed mammary masses requiring euthanasia. Interestingly, rats with tumor had elevated PA and clearly exhibit PAH signs. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that mammary tumor exacerbates the penetrance of PAH in the BMPR2 mutated female rats. Methods/Results: BMPR2 mutated and wild-type female young rats were treated with the breast cancer inducer 7, 12- diméthylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) or Vehicle. DMBA causes on average more tumors development in BMPR2 mutated rats versus WT rats (6,2 vs. 4) P=0,0275. Compare to both vehicle-treated and DMBA rats (without tumor) BMPR2 mutated rats with DMBA-induced tumors had a significant increase in mean PA pressure (p<0,0001); total pulmonary resistance (p<0,0001) and a significant decrease in cardiac output (P=0,0293). Histologically, these changes were associated with an increase of pulmonary artery remodelling assessed by immunofluorescence. Mechanistically, development of PAH in the BMPR2 mutated rats with tumor was associated with a significant upregulation of BRD4 (western blot) (p=0,0149); IL-1β (P=0,0052), BRD3 (P=0,0791) and BIRC5 (P=0,0166) mRNA expression levels. Co-culture experiments with breast cancer cells and PASMC from both WT and BMPR2 mutated rats are ongoing to identify whether cancer cells are realising factors responsible for BRD4 activation and thus PASMC proliferation and resistance to apoptosis. Conclusions: We demonstrated for the first time that breast cancer exacerbates PAH development in BMPR2 mutated rats. Increased BRDs driven pro-inflammatory signalling is associated with PAH development in BMPR2 mutated rats. We are currently exploring whether BMPR2 mutated patients are more prone to breast cancer development or not and whether PAH development occurs more frequently in breast cancer patients.

scholarly journals FoxO limits microtubule stability and is itself negatively regulated by microtubule disruption

2012 ◽  
Vol 196 (3) ◽  
pp. 345-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inna V. Nechipurenko ◽  
Heather T. Broihier
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Leucine Zipper ◽  
Feedback Loops ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Neuronal Function ◽  
Protective Response ◽  
Microtubule Disruption ◽  
Microtubule Stability ◽  
Axon Damage

Transcription factors are essential for regulating neuronal microtubules (MTs) during development and after axon damage. In this paper, we identify a novel neuronal function for Drosophila melanogaster FoxO in limiting MT stability at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). foxO loss-of-function NMJs displayed augmented MT stability. In contrast, motor neuronal overexpression of wild-type FoxO moderately destabilized MTs, whereas overexpression of constitutively nuclear FoxO severely destabilized MTs. Thus, FoxO negatively regulates synaptic MT stability. FoxO family members are well-established components of stress-activated feedback loops. We hypothesized that FoxO might also be regulated by cytoskeletal stress because it was well situated to shape neuronal MT organization after cytoskeletal damage. Indeed, levels of neuronal FoxO were strongly reduced after acute pharmacological MT disruption as well as sustained genetic disruption of the neuronal cytoskeleton. This decrease was independent of the dual leucine zipper kinase–Wallenda pathway and required function of Akt kinase. We present a model wherein FoxO degradation is a component of a stabilizing, protective response to cytoskeletal insult.

scholarly journals A lesson from flex: consider the Y chromosome when assessing Drosophila sex-specific lethals

Development ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 128 (6) ◽  
pp. 1015-1018 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.W. Cline
Keyword(s):  
Y Chromosome ◽  
Rdna Locus ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Female Development ◽  
Regulatory Relationship ◽  
Specific Expression ◽  
X Chromosomes ◽  
Positive Regulator ◽  
Female Specific

Bhattacharya et al. (Bhattacharya, A., Sudha, S., Chandra, H. S. and Steward, R. (1999) Development 126, 5485–5493) reported that loss-of-function mutations in the flex (female-specific lethal on X) gene caused female-specific lethality because flex(+) acts as a positive regulator of the master switch gene Sex lethal (Sxl). Sxl is essential for female development. Key to their conclusion was the ability of flex mutations to suppress the male lethality caused by Sxl(M) mutations, which inappropriately activate Sxl female-specific expression. Here we report our contrary findings that flex mutations fail to suppress even the weakest Sxl(M)alleles, arguing against the proposed regulatory relationship between flex and Sxl. Instead we show that the lethal flex phenotype depends on the absence of a Y chromosome, not on the presence of two X chromosomes. flex lethality is caused by a defect in the functioning of the X-linked rDNA locus called bobbed, since this defect is complemented by the corresponding wild-type rDNA complex on the Y.

scholarly journals VARIATIONS IN THE NUMBER OF THE Y CHROMOSOMAL rRNA GENES IN DROSOPHILA HYDEI

Genetics ◽  
1976 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-34
Author(s):  
W Kunz
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Y Chromosome ◽  
X Chromosome ◽  
Nucleolus Organizer ◽  
Rrna Genes ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Drosophila Hydei

ABSTRACT The number of rRNA cistrons is measured by filter saturation hybridization in different stocks of D. hydei, where the wild-type X chromosome has one nucleolus organizer (NO) and the wild-type Y has two separated NO's. (see PDF) females having no X chromosomal NO show an rDNA content exceeding that of a Y chromosome. An even greater increase in the rRNA cistron number is measured in two translocation stocks where the (see PDF) is combined with one half of a Y and, therefore, each stock contains only one of the two Y chromosomal NO's. But when the same Y fragments are brought together with a wild-type X chromosome they lose about one-half of their rRNA cistrons within one generation. Males with two complementary Y fragments but having no X chromosomal NO show a considerably higher rDNA content than the (see PDF) females, although both are equal in respect of their NO number. Consideration is given to related phenomena in Drosophila melanogaster.

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