Project description:Post-mating expression of female Drosophila melanogaster genomes experimentally evolved under different post-copulatory sexual selection regimes
Project description:Investigation of gene expression level changes in evolved polygamous and monogamous populations of Drosophila melanogaster. The populations investigated are described in Hollis et al. 2011. Populations with elevated mutation load do not benefit from the operation of sexual selection. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 24: 1918-1926. A study using total RNA extracted from male and female virgin 4-day old Drosophila melanogaster and then transcriptionally profiled with 12x135k Nimblegen arrays. Also, transcriptional profiling of male and female heads from the same populations using Illumina RNA-Seq.
Project description:Post-mating expression of female D. melanogaster genomes experimentally evolved under different post-copulatory sexual selection regimes
Project description:By combining an experimental evolution approach with genomic techniques, we investigated the effects of seminal fluid on female gene expression. In our study, we experimentally manipulated the mating system in replicate populations of D. melanogaster, by removing post-copulatory sexual selection, with the aim of testing differences in short term post-mating reaction of females evolved under different mating strategies. We show that monogamous females suffer decreased fecundity, regardless of the type of male they were mated with, and that their post-mating gene expression profiles differ significantly from promiscuous females, involving 1141 transcripts (9% of the genes tested). These transcripts are active in several tissues, mainly ovaries, neural tissues, midgut and spermathecae, and are involved in metabolic processes, reproduction and signaling pathways. Our results provide a list of candidate genes responsible for the decrease in female fecundity in the absence of post-copulatory sexual selection, and demonstrate how the female post-mating response can evolve under different mating systems over relatively short time frames.
Project description:By combining an experimental evolution approach with genomic techniques, we investigated the effects of seminal fluid on female gene expression. In our study, we experimentally manipulated the mating system in replicate populations of D. melanogaster, by removing post-copulatory sexual selection, with the aim of testing differences in short term post-mating reaction of females evolved under different mating strategies. We show that monogamous females suffer decreased fecundity, regardless of the type of male they were mated with, and that their post-mating gene expression profiles differ significantly from promiscuous females, involving 1141 transcripts (9% of the genes tested). These transcripts are active in several tissues, mainly ovaries, neural tissues, midgut and spermathecae, and are involved in metabolic processes, reproduction and signaling pathways. Our results provide a list of candidate genes responsible for the decrease in female fecundity in the absence of post-copulatory sexual selection, and demonstrate how the female post-mating response can evolve under different mating systems over relatively short time frames.
Project description:Investigation of gene expression level changes in evolved polygamous and monogamous populations of Drosophila melanogaster. The populations investigated are described in Hollis et al. 2011. Populations with elevated mutation load do not benefit from the operation of sexual selection. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 24: 1918-1926.
Project description:We used RNA sequencing to examine the transcriptomes of male and female heads from experimentally-evolved D. melanogaster populations after 117 generations of mating system manipulation in order to examine the pattern of evolution in sex-biased genes.
Project description:By combining an experimental evolution approach with genomic techniques, we investigated the effects of seminal fluid on female gene expression. In our study, we experimentally manipulated the mating system in replicate populations of D. melanogaster, by removing post-copulatory sexual selection, with the aim of testing differences in short term post-mating reaction of females evolved under different mating strategies. We show that monogamous females suffer decreased fecundity, regardless of the type of male they were mated with, and that their post-mating gene expression profiles differ significantly from promiscuous females, involving 1141 transcripts (9% of the genes tested). These transcripts are active in several tissues, mainly ovaries, neural tissues, midgut and spermathecae, and are involved in metabolic processes, reproduction and signaling pathways. Our results provide a list of candidate genes responsible for the decrease in female fecundity in the absence of post-copulatory sexual selection, and demonstrate how the female post-mating response can evolve under different mating systems over relatively short time frames. From a LHM base population, we created 8 replicate populations and maintained them under experimental evolution: 4 populations were allowed to mate only once every generation (monogamy), and the other 4 were kept under the standard mating protocol (promiscuous). After 46 generation, we crossed males and females within the same population and with individuals of the opposite treatment. Mated female flies were frozen 6 h after mating and RNA extracted. Two biological replicates per cross per population (2x2x8=32 samples).
Project description:By combining an experimental evolution approach with genomic techniques, we investigated the effects of seminal fluid on female gene expression. In our study, we experimentally manipulated the mating system in replicate populations of D. melanogaster, by removing post-copulatory sexual selection, with the aim of testing differences in short term post-mating reaction of females evolved under different mating strategies. We show that monogamous females suffer decreased fecundity, regardless of the type of male they were mated with, and that their post-mating gene expression profiles differ significantly from promiscuous females, involving 1141 transcripts (9% of the genes tested). These transcripts are active in several tissues, mainly ovaries, neural tissues, midgut and spermathecae, and are involved in metabolic processes, reproduction and signaling pathways. Our results provide a list of candidate genes responsible for the decrease in female fecundity in the absence of post-copulatory sexual selection, and demonstrate how the female post-mating response can evolve under different mating systems over relatively short time frames. From an LHM base population, we created 8 replicate populations and maintained them under experimental evolution: 4 populations were allowed to mate only once every generation (monogamy), and the other 4 were kept under the standard mating protocol (promiscuous). After 46 generations, we crossed males and females within the same population and with individuals of the opposite treatment. Mated female flies were frozen 6 h after mating and RNA extracted. Two biological replicates per cross per population (2x2x8=32 samples).