Multiple exaggerated weapon morphs: a novel form of male polymorphism in harvestmen.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Painting CJ
PROVIDER: S-EPMC4635406 | biostudies-other | 2015 Nov
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other
Similar Datasets
Project description:It is often stated that polymorphisms for mutations affecting fitness of males and females in opposite directions [sexually antagonistic (SA) polymorphisms] are the main selective force for the evolution of recombination suppression between sex chromosomes. However, empirical evidence to discriminate between different hypotheses is difficult to obtain. We report genetic mapping results in laboratory-raised families of the guppy (Poecilia reticulata), a sexually dimorphic fish with SA polymorphisms for male coloration genes, mostly on the sex chromosomes. Comparison of the genetic and physical maps shows that crossovers are distributed very differently in the two sexes (heterochiasmy); in male meiosis, they are restricted to the termini of all four chromosomes studied, including chromosome 12, which carries the sex-determining locus. Genome resequencing of male and female guppies from a population also indicates sex linkage of variants across almost the entire chromosome 12. More than 90% of the chromosome carrying the male-determining locus is therefore transmitted largely through the male lineage. A lack of heterochiasmy in a related fish species suggests that it originated recently in the lineage leading to the guppy. Our findings do not support the hypothesis that suppressed recombination evolved in response to the presence of SA polymorphisms. Instead, a low frequency of recombination on a chromosome that carries a male-determining locus and has not undergone genetic degeneration has probably facilitated the establishment of male-beneficial coloration polymorphisms.
| S-EPMC6452659 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Successful reproduction depends on many factors. Male factors contribute to infertility in approximately 50% of couples who fail to conceive. Seminal plasma consists of secretions from different accessory glands containing a mixture of various cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors, which together can induce a local immune response that might impact on a male's as well as a female's fertility. Human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-G expression has been suggested as an immunomodulatory molecule that influences pregnancy outcome. The HLA-G gene encodes either membrane-bound or/and soluble proteins. The aim of this study was the evaluation of HLA-G polymorphisms and their impact on soluble HLA-G (sHLA-G) production. We tested the HLA-G polymorphism in three positions: rs1632947: c.-964G>A; rs1233334: c.-725G>C/T in the promoter region; rs371194629: c.∗65_∗66insATTTGTTCATGCCT in the 3' untranslated region. We tested two cohorts of men: 663 who participated in in vitro fertilization (test material was blood or sperm), and 320 fertile controls who possessed children born after natural conception (test material was blood). Since 50% of men visiting assisted reproductive clinics have abnormal semen parameters, we wondered if men with normal sperm parameters differ from those with abnormal parameters in terms of HLA-G polymorphism and secretion of sHLA-G into semen. We found that certain rs1632947-rs1233334-rs371194629 HLA-G haplotypes and diplotypes were associated with male infertility, while others were protective. Normozoospermic men with the A-C-del haplotype and A-C-del/A-C-del diplotype secreted the most sHLA-G into semen (574.1 IU/mL and 1047.0 IU/mL, respectively), while those with the G-C-ins haplotype and G-C-ins/G-C-ins diplotype - the least (80.8 IU/mL and 75.7 IU/mL, respectively). Men with the remaining haplotypes/diplotypes secreted sHLA-G at an intermediate level. However, only in one haplotype, namely G-C-ins, did we observe strong significant differences in the concentration of sHLA-G in the semen of men with teratozoospermia compared to men with normal sperm parameters (p = 0.009). In conclusion, fertile men differ in the profile of HLA-G polymorphism from men participating in IVF. Among all HLA-G haplotypes, the most unfavorable for male fertility is the G-C-ins haplotype, which determines the secretion of the lowest concentration of the soluble HLA-G molecule. This haplotype may reduce sperm parameters.
| S-EPMC8801424 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The FOXP3 gene encodes a transcription factor and is predominantly expressed in the CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells which plays a pivotal role in the maintenance of immune homeostasis. The defect of FOXP3 gene may provide a critical link between autoimmunity and immune deficiency. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the association of chosen polymorphisms of FOXP3 gene (rs3761549, rs3761548, rs3761547) with different clinical multiple sclerosis (MS) data of our relapsing-remitting groups of patients and in control group. The study was performed on a group consisting of 174 relapsing-remitting MS patients, diagnosed under 40 years of life, and 174 healthy volunteers. Genotyping was performed using a real-time PCR-based method by TaqMan Assays. Significant differences in distribution of allele C rs3761547 were found in male MS patients in comparison to the male healthy group (p = 0.046, OR 1.95, CI 95%). No association between MS and the other two polymorphisms was observed in males and females of both studied groups. Our data may suggest that FOXP3 rs3761547 gene polymorphism are related notably with the increased risk of MS development in males patients. To our knowledge this is the first study which indicates gender-specific relation between rs3761547 FOXP3 gene polymorphism and multiple sclerosis.
| S-EPMC6244921 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The limbic system-associated membrane protein (LAMP) is a GPI-anchored cell adhesion molecule expressed heavily in limbic and limbic-associated regions of the developing and adult brain. Experimental studies show that LAMP promotes the growth of limbic neurons and guides the projections of limbic fibers. In order to examine the functional consequences of disrupting limbic circuit assembly, we generated a mouse line in which the Lsamp gene encoding LAMP was deleted. Basic neuroanatomical organization and sensory and motor development are normal in Lsamp(-/-) mice. The most profound change in behavior in both male and female Lsamp(-/-) mice is a heightened reactivity to novelty exhibited in several behavioral tests. Lsamp(-/-) mice display hyperactivity in a novel arena and both sexes habituate to the same activity levels as their wild type littermates, but at different rates. In the elevated plus maze, Lsamp(-/-) mice exhibit increased total arm entries, with a bias towards the open arms; they spend more time in the open arms and have a substantial increase in the amount of risk assessment in unprotected areas of the maze. In the y-maze, Lsamp(-/-) mice exhibit characteristic hyperactivity and a decreased level of spontaneous alternation during the period when their novelty-induced hyperactivity is at its peak. We hypothesize that Lsamp(-/-) mice may not simply exhibit a decrease in anxiety, but may have a heightened, and possibly maladaptive, response to novel environmental stressors. Genetic deletion of Lsamp may thus cause circumscribed changes in the fine connectivity of specific circuits that underlie these behaviors.
| S-EPMC2275759 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Mate guarding is a widespread behaviour resulting from sperm competition and conflict over optimal remating rates. It is a key way in which males exhibit differential mating investment, and represents a complex interplay between mating effort, intrasexual competition, opportunity costs and sexual conflict. Nevertheless, although there are many examples of exaggerated male structures used to fight rivals, few animals have developed specialized male morphological adaptations for directly sheltering females from disturbance by non-rivals. Here we report on the use of sexually dimorphic, elongated male hind legs, which are used to guard females in the New Zealand cave wētā Pachyrhamma waitomoensis (Orthoptera: Rhaphidophoridae). We found that male hind legs alongside the female failed to deter rivals from accessing her or disrupting copulation. However, they did reduce the disturbance to females from other, non-rival animals such as juveniles and heterospecifics. Males with longer hind legs were more effective in reducing disturbance, and remained with females for longer. Longer guarding periods also led to higher numbers of matings between pairs. Models of males with artificially altered hind leg dimensions also showed a benefit to greater leg length, and artificially altering the disturbance rate to females also had a significant effect on pair duration. Our results indicate that nuisance disturbance to females may play an important role in driving sexual selection on male leg length and its exaggeration in this species.
| S-EPMC6015848 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundMany different oligosynaptic reflexes are known to originate in the lower brainstem which share phenomenological and neurophysiological similarities.ObjectiveTo evaluate and discuss the differences and aberrancies among these reflexes, which are hard to discern clinically using neurophysiological investigations with the help of a case report.MethodsWe describe the clinical and neurophysiological assessment of a young man who had a childhood history of opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome with residual mild ataxia and myoclonic jerks in the distal extremities presenting with subacute onset total body jerks sensitive to sound and touch (in a limited dermatomal distribution), refractory to medications.ResultsBased on clinical characteristics and insights gained from neurophysiological testing we could identify a novel reflex of caudal brainstem origin.ConclusionsThe reflex described is likely an exaggerated normal reflex, likely triggered by a dolichoectatic vertebral arterial compression and shares characteristics of different reflexes known to originate in caudal brainstem, which subserve distinctive roles in human postural control.
| S-EPMC6451678 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Mechanical and metabolic signals associated with skeletal muscle contraction stimulate the sensory endings of thin fiber muscle afferents and produce reflex increases in sympathetic nerve activity and blood pressure during exercise (i.e., the exercise pressor reflex; EPR). The EPR is exaggerated in patients and animals with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HF-rEF) and its activation contributes to reduced exercise capacity within this patient population. Accumulating evidence suggests that the exaggerated EPR in HF-rEF is partially attributable to a sensitization of mechanically activated channels produced by thromboxane A2 receptors (TxA2 -Rs) on those sensory endings; however, this has not been investigated. Accordingly, the purpose of this investigation was to determine the role played by TxA2 -Rs on the sensory endings of thin fiber muscle afferents in the exaggerated EPR in rats with HF-rEF induced by coronary artery ligation. In decerebrate, unanesthetized rats, we found that injection of the TxA2 -R antagonist daltroban (80 μg) into the arterial supply of the hindlimb reduced the pressor response to 30 s of electrically induced 1 Hz dynamic hindlimb muscle contraction in HF-rEF (n = 8, peak ∆MAP pre: 22 ± 3; post: 14 ± 2 mmHg; p = 0.01) but not sham (n = 10, peak ∆MAP pre: 13 ± 3; post: 11 ± 2 mmHg; p = 0.68) rats. In a separate group of HF-rEF rats (n = 4), we found that the systemic (intravenous) injection of daltroban had no effect on the EPR (peak ΔMAP pre: 26 ± 7; post: 25 ± 7 mmHg; p = 0.50). Our data suggest that TxA2 -Rs on thin fiber muscle afferents contribute to the exaggerated EPR evoked in response to dynamic muscle contraction in HF-rEF.
| S-EPMC8461035 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Some sexual traits, including genitalia, have undergone coevolutionary diversification toward exaggerated states in both sexes among closely related species, but the underlying genetic mechanisms that allow correlated character evolution between the sexes are poorly understood. Here, we studied interspecific differences in gene expression timing profiles involved in the correlated evolution of corresponding male and female genital parts in three species of ground beetle in Carabus (Ohomopterus). The male and female genital parts maintain morphological matching, whereas large interspecific variation in genital part size has occurred in the genital coevolution between the sexes toward exaggeration. We analyzed differences in gene expression involved in the interspecific differences in genital morphology using whole transcriptome data from genital tissues during genital morphogenesis. We found that the gene expression variance attributed to sex was negligible for the majority of differentially expressed genes, thus exhibiting sex-concordant expression, although large variances were attributed to stage and species differences. For each sex, we obtained co-expression gene networks and hub genes from differentially expressed genes between species that might be involved in interspecific differences in genital morphology. These gene networks were common to both sexes, and both sex-discordant and sex-concordant gene expression were likely involved in species-specific genital morphology. In particular, the gene expression related to exaggerated genital size showed no significant intersexual differences, implying that the genital sizes in both sexes are controlled by the same gene network with sex-concordant expression patterns, thereby facilitating the coevolution of exaggerated genitalia between the sexes while maintaining intersexual matching.
| S-EPMC8382896 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Multiple sulfatase deficiency (MSD) is a lysosomal storage disorder (LSD) that results in the accumulation of sulfate esters which go on to cause neurological deterioration and mental delay, skin changes, and dysmorphism. The disease can be categorized into three subtypes based on the age of onset: neonatal, late infantile, or juvenile. Our patient is a 2.5-year-old girl, the only child of a healthy couple. Prior to the presentation of the disease, she had not been noted to have any previous health complications. The condition began at the age of 6 months with developmental regression and global hypotonia. Following thorough evaluation and testing, the patient was diagnosed with severe late infantile MSD, although some features, such as minimal mental deterioration, minimal dysmorphic facial features, and minimal organ enlargement, did not fully correlate with the diagnosis, since in cases of severe forms of the condition these features are almost always quite marked. The unexpected minimalism of some of the patient's MSD signs in spite of the severity of her MSD condition made her case worth further studying. Treating dermatologic signs and symptoms greatly eased our patient's discomfort. We would suggest the use of appropriate supportive treatment for symptom management regardless of the life expectancy of the patient. As regards the diagnosis of MLD, given that in some cases the patient may present with irregular features of the condition, a genetic evaluation may be useful for accurate diagnosis. If motor function impairment is followed by dermatologic involvement, as seen in our patient and in many cases in the literature, MSD must be considered, and additional tests should be done to rule it out.
| S-EPMC7576665 | biostudies-literature
Project description:OPRM1 A118G, a functional human mu-opioid receptor (MOR) polymorphism, is associated with drug dependence and altered stress responsivity in humans as well as altered MOR signaling. MOR signaling can regulate many cellular processes, including gene expression, and many of the long-term, stable effects of drugs and stress may stem from changes in gene expression in diverse brain regions. A mouse model bearing an equivalent polymorphism (Oprm1 A112G) was previously generated and studied. Mice homozygous for the G112 allele show differences in opioid- and stress-related phenotypes.The current study examines the expression of 24 genes related to drug and stress responsivity in the caudoputamen, nucleus accumbens, hypothalamus, hippocampus, and amygdala of drug-naïve, stress-minimized, male and female mice homozygous for either the G112 variant allele or the wild-type A112 allele.We detected nominal genotype-dependent changes in gene expression of multiple genes. We also detected nominal sex-dependent as well as sex-by-genotype interaction effects on gene expression. Of these, four genotype-dependent differences survived correction for multiple testing: Avp and Gal in the hypothalamus and Oprl1 and Cnr1 in the hippocampus.Changes in the regulation of these genes by mu-opioid receptors encoded by the G112 allele may be involved in some of the behavioral and molecular consequences of this polymorphism observed in mice.
| S-EPMC6132675 | biostudies-other