Browse
Submit Data
Databases
API
Help

Dataset Information

0 Views

0 Connections

0 Citations

0 Reanalyses

0 Downloads

Omics score: 0

The life history of Drosophila sperm involves molecular continuity between male and female reproductive tracts.

ABSTRACT: SignificanceIn species with internal fertilization, sperm spend an important part of their lives within the female. To examine the life history of the sperm during this time, we used semiquantitative proteomics and sex-specific isotopic labeling in fruit flies to determine the extent of molecular continuity between male and female reproductive tracts and provide a global catalog of sperm-associated proteins. Multiple seminal fluid proteins and female proteins associate with sperm immediately after mating. Few seminal fluid proteins remain after long-term sperm storage, whereas female-derived proteins constitute one-fifth of the postmating sperm proteome by then. Our data reveal a molecular "hand-off" from males to females, which we postulate to be an important component of sperm-female interactions.

SUBMITTER: McCullough EL

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8931355 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Json Xml

Publications

The life history of <i>Drosophila</i> sperm involves molecular continuity between male and female reproductive tracts.

McCullough Erin L EL Whittington Emma E Singh Akanksha A Pitnick Scott S Wolfner Mariana F MF Dorus Steve S

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20220307 11

SignificanceIn species with internal fertilization, sperm spend an important part of their lives within the female. To examine the life history of the sperm during this time, we used semiquantitative proteomics and sex-specific isotopic labeling in fruit flies to determine the extent of molecular continuity between male and female reproductive tracts and provide a global catalog of sperm-associated proteins. Multiple seminal fluid proteins and female proteins associate with sperm immediately aft ...[more]

PMID: 35254899

Similar Datasets

The life history of Drosophila sperm depends on molecular continuity between male and female reproductive tracts

Project description:Interactions between sperm and the female reproductive tract (FRT) are critical to fertility, but knowledge of the molecular mechanisms by which the FRT interacts with sperm and influences sperm fate remains limited. Here, we used whole-cell quantitative proteomics to track the protein composition of sperm across three female reproductive tissues (bursa, seminal receptacle, and spermatheca) and three post-mating timepoints (30 minutes, 2 hours, and 4 days). In combination with an update and expansion of the seminal vesicle sperm proteome and sex-specific isotopic labeling to identify female-contributed sperm proteins, our data provide a comprehensive, quantitative analysis of the molecular life history of Drosophila sperm.

2022-03-14 | PXD027807 | Pride

The life history of Drosophila sperm depends on molecular continuity between male and female reproductive tracts: heavy-male isotopic labeling to identify female-derived sperm proteins

Project description:Interactions between sperm and the female reproductive tract (FRT) are critical to fertility, but knowledge of the molecular mechanisms by which the FRT interacts with sperm and influences sperm fate remains limited. Here, we used sex-specific isotopic labeling to identify female-derived proteins that contribute to the sperm proteome after long-term storage in the female’s sperm storage organs. In combination with whole-cell quantitative proteomics to track the protein composition of sperm across three female reproductive tissues (bursa, seminal receptacle, and spermatheca) and three post-mating timepoints (30 minutes, 2 hours, and 4 days), as well as an expansion of the seminal vesicle sperm proteome, our data provide a comprehensive, quantitative analysis of the molecular life history of Drosophila sperm.

2022-03-11 | PXD027802 | Pride

The life history of Drosophila sperm depends on molecular continuity between male and female reproductive tracts: heavy-female isotopic labeling to estimate abundances of female-derived sperm protein

Project description:Interactions between sperm and the female reproductive tract (FRT) are critical to fertility, but knowledge of the molecular mechanisms by which the FRT interacts with sperm and influences sperm fate remains limited. Here, we used sex-specific isotopic labeling to estimate the relative abundance of female-derived sperm proteins after long-term storage in the female’s sperm storage organs. In combination with whole-cell quantitative proteomics to track the protein composition of sperm across three female reproductive tissues (bursa, seminal receptacle, and spermatheca) and three post-mating timepoints (30 minutes, 2 hours, and 4 days), as well as an expansion of the seminal vesicle sperm proteome, our data provide a comprehensive, quantitative analysis of the molecular life history of Drosophila sperm.

2022-03-14 | PXD027806 | Pride

Protease gene duplication and proteolytic activity in Drosophila female reproductive tracts.

Project description:Secreted proteases play integral roles in sexual reproduction in a broad range of taxa. In the genetic model Drosophila melanogaster, these molecules are thought to process peptides and activate enzymes inside female reproductive tracts, mediating critical postmating responses. A recent study of female reproductive tract proteins in the cactophilic fruit fly Drosophila arizonae, identified pervasive, lineage-specific gene duplication amongst secreted proteases. Here, we compare the evolutionary dynamics, biochemical nature, and physiological significance of secreted female reproductive serine endoproteases between D. arizonae and its congener D. melanogaster. We show that D. arizonae lower female reproductive tract (LFRT) proteins are significantly enriched for recently duplicated secreted proteases, particularly serine endoproteases, relative to D. melanogaster. Isolated lumen from D. arizonae LFRTs, furthermore, exhibits significant trypsin-like and elastase-like serine endoprotease activity, whereas no such activity is seen in D. melanogaster. Finally, trypsin- and elastase-like activity in D. arizonae female reproductive tracts is negatively regulated by mating. We propose that the intense proteolytic environment of the D. arizonae female reproductive tract relates to the extraordinary reproductive physiology of this species and that ongoing gene duplication amongst these proteases is an evolutionary consequence of sexual conflict.

| S-EPMC2734159 | biostudies-literature

Gene duplication and adaptive evolution of digestive proteases in Drosophila arizonae female reproductive tracts.

Project description:It frequently has been postulated that intersexual coevolution between the male ejaculate and the female reproductive tract is a driving force in the rapid evolution of reproductive proteins. The dearth of research on female tracts, however, presents a major obstacle to empirical tests of this hypothesis. Here, we employ a comparative EST approach to identify 241 candidate female reproductive proteins in Drosophila arizonae, a repleta group species in which physiological ejaculate-female coevolution has been documented. Thirty-one of these proteins exhibit elevated amino acid substitution rates, making them candidates for molecular coevolution with the male ejaculate. Strikingly, we also discovered 12 unique digestive proteases whose expression is specific to the D. arizonae lower female reproductive tract. These enzymes belong to classes most commonly found in the gastrointestinal tracts of a diverse array of organisms. We show that these proteases are associated with recent, lineage-specific gene duplications in the Drosophila repleta species group, and exhibit strong signatures of positive selection. Observation of adaptive evolution in several female reproductive tract proteins indicates they are active players in the evolution of reproductive tract interactions. Additionally, pervasive gene duplication, adaptive evolution, and rapid acquisition of a novel digestive function by the female reproductive tract points to a novel coevolutionary mechanism of ejaculate-female interaction.

| S-EPMC1959364 | biostudies-literature

BMP-regulated exosomes from Drosophila male reproductive glands reprogram female behavior.

Project description:Male reproductive glands secrete signals into seminal fluid to facilitate reproductive success. In Drosophila melanogaster, these signals are generated by a variety of seminal peptides, many produced by the accessory glands (AGs). One epithelial cell type in the adult male AGs, the secondary cell (SC), grows selectively in response to bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling. This signaling is involved in blocking the rapid remating of mated females, which contributes to the reproductive advantage of the first male to mate. In this paper, we show that SCs secrete exosomes, membrane-bound vesicles generated inside late endosomal multivesicular bodies (MVBs). After mating, exosomes fuse with sperm (as also seen in vitro for human prostate-derived exosomes and sperm) and interact with female reproductive tract epithelia. Exosome release was required to inhibit female remating behavior, suggesting that exosomes are downstream effectors of BMP signaling. Indeed, when BMP signaling was reduced in SCs, vesicles were still formed in MVBs but not secreted as exosomes. These results demonstrate a new function for the MVB-exosome pathway in the reproductive tract that appears to be conserved across evolution.

| S-EPMC4151142 | biostudies-literature

Plastic responses of male Drosophila melanogaster to the level of sperm competition increase male reproductive fitness.

Project description:Evolutionary and plastic responses by males to the level of sperm competition (SC) are reported across widespread taxa, but direct tests of the consequences for male reproductive success in a competitive context are lacking. We varied male perception of SC to examine the effect on male competitive reproductive success and to test whether the outcomes were as predicted by theory. Exposure to rival males prior to mating increased a male's ejaculate investment (measured as mating duration); by contrast, exposure to rival males in the mating arena decreased mating duration. The results therefore suggested that SC intensity is important in shaping male responses to SC in this system, although the patterns were not strictly in accord with existing theory. We then tested whether males that responded to the level of SC had higher reproductive fitness in a competitive context. We found that males kept with rivals prior to mating again mated for longer; furthermore, they achieved significantly higher paternity share regardless of whether they were the first or second males to mate with a female. The plastic strategies employed by males therefore resulted in significantly increased reproductive success in a competitive context, even following subsequent rematings in which the majority of sperm were displaced.

| S-EPMC2660996 | biostudies-literature

Evolutionary expressed sequence tag analysis of Drosophila female reproductive tracts identifies genes subjected to positive selection.

Project description:Genes whose products are involved in reproduction include some of the fastest-evolving genes found within the genomes of several organisms. Drosophila has long been used to study the function and evolutionary dynamics of genes thought to be involved in sperm competition and sexual conflict, two processes that have been hypothesized to drive the adaptive evolution of reproductive molecules. Several seminal fluid proteins (Acps) made in the Drosophila male reproductive tract show evidence of rapid adaptive evolution. To identify candidate genes in the female reproductive tract that may be involved in female-male interactions and that may thus have been subjected to adaptive evolution, we used an evolutionary bioinformatics approach to analyze sequences from a cDNA library that we have generated from Drosophila female reproductive tracts. We further demonstrate that several of these genes have been subjected to positive selection. Their expression in female reproductive tracts, presence of signal sequences/transmembrane domains, and rapid adaptive evolution indicate that they are prime candidates to encode female reproductive molecules that interact with rapidly evolving male Acps.

| S-EPMC1448773 | biostudies-literature

Last male sperm precedence is modulated by female remating rate in Drosophila melanogaster.

Project description:Following multiple matings, sperm from different males compete for fertilization within the female reproductive tract. In many species, this competition results in an unequal sharing of paternity that favors the most recent mate, termed last male sperm precedence (LMSP). Much of our understanding of LMSP comes from studies in Drosophila melanogaster that focus on twice-mated females with standardized latencies between successive matings. Despite accumulating evidence indicating that females often mate with more than two males and exhibit variation in the latency between matings, the consequences of mating rate on LMSP are poorly understood. Here, we developed a paradigm utilizing D. melanogaster in which females remated at various time intervals with either two or three transgenic males that produce fluorescent sperm (green, red, or blue). This genetic manipulation enables paternity assessment of offspring and male-specific sperm fate examination in female reproductive tracts. We found that remating latency had no relationship with LMSP in females that mated with two males. However, LMSP was significantly reduced in thrice-mated females with short remating intervals; coinciding with reduced last-male sperm storage. Thus, female remating rate influences the relative share of paternity, the overall clutch paternity diversity, and ultimately the acquisition of indirect genetic benefits to potentially maximize female reproductive success.

| S-EPMC6121866 | biostudies-literature

Innate and adaptive immune responses in male and female reproductive tracts in homeostasis and following HIV infection.

Project description:The male and female reproductive tracts are complex microenvironments that have diverse functional demands. The immune system in the reproductive tract has the demanding task of providing a protective environment for a fetal allograft while simultaneously conferring protection against potential pathogens. As such, it has evolved a unique set of adaptations, primarily under the influence of sex hormones, which make it distinct from other mucosal sites. Here, we discuss the various components of the immune system that are present in both the male and female reproductive tracts, including innate soluble factors and cells and humoral and cell-mediated adaptive immunity under homeostatic conditions. We review the evidence showing unique phenotypic and functional characteristics of immune cells and responses in the male and female reproductive tracts that exhibit compartmentalization from systemic immunity and discuss how these features are influenced by sex hormones. We also examine the interactions among the reproductive tract, sex hormones and immune responses following HIV-1 infection. An improved understanding of the unique characteristics of the male and female reproductive tracts will provide insights into improving clinical treatments of the immunological causes of infertility and the design of prophylactic interventions for the prevention of sexually transmitted infections.

| S-EPMC4197208 | biostudies-other

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

OmicsDI is an Elixir interoperability service. Learn more ›

Tweets

OmicsDI Databases

PRIDE
PeptideAtlas
MassIVE
JPOST Repository
Physiome Model Repository

EGA
EVA
ENA
LINCS
PAXDB
Cell Collective

MetaboLights
Metabolomics Workbench
MetabolomeExpress
GNPS
BioModels
FAIRDOMHub

ArrayExpress
dbGaP
ExpressionAtlas
GEO
NODE

Information

Databases
Help
API
Contact us
Code on GitHub
Terms of use
Submit Data