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Insulin-insensitivity of male genitalia maintains reproductive success in Drosophila.

ABSTRACT: For most arthropod species, male genital size is relatively implastic in response to variation in developmental nutrition, such that the genitals in large well-fed males are similar in size to those in small poorly-fed males. In Drosophila melanogaster, reduced nutritional plasticity of the male genitalia is a consequence of low insulin sensitivity through a tissue-specific reduction in the expression of FOXO, a negative growth regulator . Despite an understanding of the proximate developmental mechanisms regulating organ size, the ultimate evolutionary mechanisms that may have led to reduced FOXO expression in the genitalia have not been fully elucidated. Here we show that restoring FOXO activity in the developing genitalia reduces the male genital size and decreases various aspects of male reproductive success. These data support the hypothesis that sexual selection has acted on the male genitalia to limit their nutritional plasticity through a reduction in FOXO expression, linking proximate with ultimate mechanisms of genital evolution.

SUBMITTER: Dreyer AP

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6548725 | biostudies-literature | 2019 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Insulin-insensitivity of male genitalia maintains reproductive success in Drosophila.

Dreyer Austin P AP Shingleton Alexander W AW

Biology letters 20190501 5

For most arthropod species, male genital size is relatively implastic in response to variation in developmental nutrition, such that the genitals in large well-fed males are similar in size to those in small poorly-fed males. In Drosophila melanogaster, reduced nutritional plasticity of the male genitalia is a consequence of low insulin sensitivity through a tissue-specific reduction in the expression of FOXO, a negative growth regulator . Despite an understanding of the proximate developmental ...[more]

PMID: 31088279

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Project description:We generated RNA-seq data of Drosophila simulans and Drosophila mauritiana developing male genitalia in order to identify expression level differences between these species. These species are closely related, yet have dramatic differences in their male genital morphologies. Three independent RNA-seq library replicates were generated for Dsim w501 and Dmau D1 developing male genitalia. Flies were reared under the above conditions, and white pre-pupae collected. Males were selected using gonad size and allowed to develop in a humid container at 25ºC until stages 2 and 4.5 (see staging guide in (Hagen et al., 2019); tartan underlies the evolution of Drosophila male genital morphology). Between these stages, the claspers develop from a ridge structure to a distinct appendage separate from the surrounding tissue, and the posterior lobe has begun to extend outwards from the lateral plate primordia (Hagen et al., 2019). The heads of pupae were impaled with a needle onto a charcoal agar plate and submerged in 1xPBS. Dissection scissors were used to remove the distal tip of the pupal case and the outer membrane, and pressure applied to the abdomen to allow the developing genitalia to be quickly expelled from the pupal case and dissected away from the abdomen. Note that the entire genital arch, including internal genital organs (but not including abdominal tissue), was isolated for RNA extraction. The genitalia from fifteen males from each stage were collected and placed directly into TRIzol. RNA was then extracted using standard procedures. Quality and quantity of RNA was verified using a Qubit, and samples were sent to the Centre for Genomic Research at the University of Liverpool where dual-indexed, strand-specific RNA-seq libraries were prepared using NEBNext polyA selection and Ultra Directional RNA preparation kits. Samples were then sequenced using Illumina HiSeq 4000 (paired-end, 2x150 bp sequencing). Dsim w501 and Dmau D1 reads were mapped against reannotated reference coding sequences (Torres-Oliva et al., 2016).

Dataset Information

Insulin-insensitivity of male genitalia maintains reproductive success in Drosophila.

Publications

Insulin-insensitivity of male genitalia maintains reproductive success in Drosophila.

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