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Structural variation in Drosophila melanogaster spermathecal ducts and its association with sperm competition dynamics.

ABSTRACT: The ability of female insects to retain and use sperm for days, months, or even years after mating requires specialized storage organs in the reproductive tract. In most orders, these organs include a pair of sclerotized capsules known as spermathecae. Here, we report that some Drosophila melanogaster females exhibit previously uncharacterized structures within the distal portion of the muscular duct that links a spermatheca to the uterus. We find that these 'spermathecal duct presences' (SDPs) may form in either or both ducts and can extend from the duct into the sperm-storing capsule itself. We further find that the incidence of SDPs varies significantly between genotypes, but does not change significantly with the age or mating status of females, the latter indicating that SDPs are not composed of or stimulated by sperm or male seminal proteins. We show that SDPs affect neither the number of first male sperm held in a spermatheca nor the number of offspring produced after a single mating. However, we find evidence that SDPs are associated with a lack of second male sperm in the spermathecae after females remate. This raises the possibility that SDPs provide a mechanism for variation in sperm competition outcome among females.

SUBMITTER: Hopkins BR

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7137968 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Structural variation in <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> spermathecal ducts and its association with sperm competition dynamics.

Hopkins Ben R BR Sepil Irem I Wigby Stuart S

Royal Society open science 20200325 3

The ability of female insects to retain and use sperm for days, months, or even years after mating requires specialized storage organs in the reproductive tract. In most orders, these organs include a pair of sclerotized capsules known as spermathecae. Here, we report that some <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> females exhibit previously uncharacterized structures within the distal portion of the muscular duct that links a spermatheca to the uterus. We find that these 'spermathecal duct presences' ...[more]

PMID: 32269825

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Project description:BackgroundMale-derived seminal fluid proteins (SFPs) that enter female fruitflies during mating induce a myriad of physiological and behavioral changes, optimizing fertility of the mating pair. Some post-mating changes in female Drosophila melanogaster persist for ~10-14 days. Their long-term persistence is because the seminal protein that induces these particular changes, the Sex Peptide (SP), is retained long term in females by binding to sperm, with gradual release of its active domain from sperm. Several other "long-term response SFPs" (LTR-SFPs) "prime" the binding of SP to sperm. Whether female factors play a role in this process is unknown, though it is important to study both sexes for a comprehensive physiological understanding of SFP/sperm interactions and for consideration in models of sexual conflict.ResultsWe report here that sperm in male ejaculates bind SP more weakly than sperm that have entered females. Moreover, we show that the amount of SP, and other SFPs, bound to sperm increases with time and transit of individual seminal proteins within the female reproductive tract (FRT). Thus, female contributions are needed for maximal and appropriate binding of SP, and other SFPs, to sperm. Towards understanding the source of female molecular contributions, we ablated spermathecal secretory cells (SSCs) and/or parovaria (female accessory glands), which contribute secretory proteins to the FRT. We found no dramatic change in the initial levels of SP bound to sperm stored in mated females with ablated or defective SSCs and/or parovaria, indicating that female molecules that facilitate the binding of SP to sperm are not uniquely derived from SSCs and parovaria. However, we observed higher levels of SP (and sperm) retention long term in females whose SSCs and parovaria had been ablated, indicating secretions from these female tissues are necessary for the gradual release of Sex Peptide's active region from stored sperm.ConclusionThis study reveals that the SP-sperm binding pathway is not entirely male-derived and that female contributions are needed to regulate the levels of SP associated with sperm stored in their storage sites.

Dataset Information

Structural variation in Drosophila melanogaster spermathecal ducts and its association with sperm competition dynamics.

Publications

Structural variation in <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> spermathecal ducts and its association with sperm competition dynamics.

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