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Bonilla ML, Todd C, Erlandson M, Andres J. Combining RNA-seq and proteomic profiling to identify seminal fluid proteins in the migratory grasshopper Melanoplus sanguinipes (F). BMC Genomics 2015; 16:1096. [PMID: 26694822 PMCID: PMC4689059 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-015-2327-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2015] [Accepted: 12/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Seminal fluid proteins control many aspects of fertilization and in turn, they play a key role in post-mating sexual selection and possibly reproductive isolation. Because effective proteome profiling relies on the availability of high-quality DNA reference databases, our knowledge of these proteins is still largely limited to model organisms with ample genetic resources. New advances in sequencing technology allow for the rapid characterization of transcriptomes at low cost. By combining high throughput RNA-seq and shotgun proteomic profiling, we have characterized the seminal fluid proteins secreted by the primary male accessory gland of the migratory grasshopper (Melanoplus sanguinipes), one of the main agricultural pests in central North America. RESULTS Using RNA sequencing, we characterized the transcripts of ~ 8,100 genes expressed in the long hyaline tubules (LHT) of the accessory glands. Proteomic profiling identified 353 proteins expressed in the long hyaline tubules (LHT). Of special interest are seminal fluid proteins (SFPs), such as EJAC-SP, ACE and prostaglandin synthetases, which are known to regulate female oviposition in insects. CONCLUSIONS Our study provides new insights into the proteomic components of male ejaculate in Orthopterans, and highlights several important patterns. First, the presence of proteins that lack predicted classical secretory tags in accessory gland proteomes is common in male accessory glands. Second, the products of a few highly expressed genes dominate the accessory gland secretions. Third, accessory gland transcriptomes are enriched for novel transcripts. Fourth, there is conservation of SFPs' functional classes across distantly related taxonomic groups with very different life histories, mating systems and sperm transferring mechanisms. The identified SFPs may serve as targets of future efforts to develop species- specific genetic control strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martha L Bonilla
- Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, A.237. Palmira, Valle del Cauca, Colombia.
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Pl., Saskatoon, SK, S7N-5E2, Canada.
| | - Christopher Todd
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Pl., Saskatoon, SK, S7N-5E2, Canada.
| | - Martin Erlandson
- Saskatoon Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 107 Science Pl., Saskatoon, SK, S7N-0X2, Canada.
| | - Jose Andres
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Pl., Saskatoon, SK, S7N-5E2, Canada.
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Iovinella I, Caputo B, Michelucci E, Dani FR, della Torre A. Candidate biomarkers for mosquito age-grading identified by label-free quantitative analysis of protein expression in Aedes albopictus females. J Proteomics 2015; 128:272-9. [PMID: 26271156 DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2015.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2015] [Revised: 07/12/2015] [Accepted: 08/03/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED We applied a "shotgun" approach based on nanoliquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry associated to label free quantification (LFQ) to identify proteins varying with age, independently from the physiological state, in Aedes albopictus, a mosquito species which in the last decades invaded temperate regions in North America and Europe, creating concerns for associated high nuisance and risk of arbovirus transmission. The combined "shotgun" and LFQ approach was shown to be highly suitable to simultaneously compare several biological samples, as needed in a study aimed to analyze different age-groups and physiological states of adult mosquito females. The results obtained represent the first wide-scale analysis of protein expression in Ae. albopictus females: >1000 and 665 proteins were identified from few micrograms of crude protein extracts of mosquito heads and thoraxes, respectively. Six of these proteins were shown to significantly vary from 2- to 16-day-old females, independently from their physiological state (i.e. virgin, mated, host-seeking, blood-fed, and gravid). BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE Mosquito-borne diseases, such as malaria, dengue and other arboviroses, are a persistent cause of global mortality and morbidity, affecting hundreds of thousands of people. Billions of people living in tropical areas are at risk of being bitten every day by an infective mosquito female and the spread of tropical species such as Aedes albopictus to temperate areas is creating alarm in the northern hemisphere. Mosquito longevity is a critical factor affecting mosquito-borne pathogen transmission cycles and the mosquito capacity to transmit pathogens. However, large scale analyses of the age structure of mosquito field populations is hampered by the lack of optimal age-grading approaches. Our findings open new perspectives for the development of reliable, simple and cheap protein-based assays to age-grade Ae. albopictus females and, most likely, other mosquito species of higher medical relevance, such as the main dengue vector, Aedes aegypti, and the major Afrotropical malaria vectors. These assays would greatly contribute to epidemiological studies aimed at defining the actual vectorial capacity of a given mosquito species. Moreover, they would be very valuable in assessing the effectiveness of mosquito control interventions based on the relative ratio between young and old individuals before and after the intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- I Iovinella
- Department of Public Health & Infectious Diseases, Università "La Sapienza", Roma, Italy; Biology Department, Università di Firenze, Italy
| | - B Caputo
- Department of Public Health & Infectious Diseases, Università "La Sapienza", Roma, Italy
| | - E Michelucci
- CISM, Mass Spectrometry Centre, Università di Firenze, Italy
| | - F R Dani
- CISM, Mass Spectrometry Centre, Università di Firenze, Italy; Biology Department, Università di Firenze, Italy.
| | - A della Torre
- Department of Public Health & Infectious Diseases, Università "La Sapienza", Roma, Italy
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Richardson JB, Jameson SB, Gloria-Soria A, Wesson DM, Powell J. Evidence of limited polyandry in a natural population of Aedes aegypti. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2015; 93:189-93. [PMID: 25870424 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.14-0718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2014] [Accepted: 03/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
The mosquito Aedes aegypti is a vector of yellow fever, dengue, and chikungunya. Control of the insect is crucial to stop the spread of dengue and chikungunya, so it is critically important to understand its mating behavior. Primarily, based on laboratory behavior, it has long been assumed that Ae. aegypti females mate once in their lifetime. However, multiple inseminations have been observed in semi-field and laboratory settings, and in closely related species. Here, we report the first evidence of polyandry in a natural population of Ae. aegypti. Female Ae. aegypti were captured around the New Orleans, LA, metropolitan area. They were offered a blood meal and allowed to lay eggs, which were reared to the third-instar larval stage. A parentage analysis using four microsatellite loci was performed. Out of 48 families, 3 showed evidence of multiple paternity. An expanded analysis of these three families found that one family group included offspring contributed by three fathers, and the other two included offspring from two fathers. This result establishes that polyandry can occur in a small proportion of Ae. aegypti females in a natural setting. This could complicate future genetic control efforts and has implications for sampling for population genetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua B Richardson
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut; School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana
| | - Samuel B Jameson
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut; School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana
| | - Andrea Gloria-Soria
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut; School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana
| | - Dawn M Wesson
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut; School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana
| | - Jeffrey Powell
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut; School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana
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Abstract
Egg and sperm have, understandably, been the "stars" of mammalian fertilization biology, particularly because artificial reproductive technologies allow for fertilization to occur outside of the female reproductive tract without other apparent contributions from either sex. Yet, recent research, including an exciting new paper, reveals unexpected and important contributions of seminal plasma to fertility. For example, seminal plasma proteins play critical roles in modulating female reproductive physiology, and a new study in mice demonstrates that effects of some of these proteins on the female can even affect the health of her progeny. Furthermore, although several actions of seminal plasma have been conserved across taxa, male accessory glands and their products are diverse - even among mammals. Taken together, these studies suggest that the actions of seminal plasma components are important to understand, and also to consider in future development of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) for humans, farm species and endangered species of mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa A McGraw
- Department of Biological Sciences, NC State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
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Alfonso-Parra C, Avila FW, Deewatthanawong P, Sirot LK, Wolfner MF, Harrington LC. Synthesis, depletion and cell-type expression of a protein from the male accessory glands of the dengue vector mosquito Aedes aegypti. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2014; 70:117-124. [PMID: 25107876 PMCID: PMC4252621 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2014.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2014] [Revised: 07/24/2014] [Accepted: 07/29/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Aedes aegypti males transfer sperm and seminal fluid proteins (Sfps), primarily produced by male accessory glands (AGs), to females during mating. When collectively injected or transplanted into females, AG tissues and/or seminal fluid homogenates have profound effects on Aedes female physiology and behavior. To identify targets and design new strategies for vector control, it is important to understand the biology of the AGs. Thus, we examined characteristics of AG secretion and development in A. aegypti, using the AG-specific seminal fluid protein, AAEL010824, as a marker. We showed that AAEL010824 is first detectable by 12h post-eclosion, and increases in amount over the first 3 days of adult life. We then showed that the amount of AAEL0010824 in the AG decreases after mating, with each successive mating depleting it further; by 5 successive matings with no time for recovery, its levels are very low. AAEL010824 levels in a depleted male are replenished by 48 h post-mating. In addition to examining the level of AAEL010824 protein, we also characterized the expression of its gene. We did this by making a transgenic mosquito line that carries an Enhanced Green Fluorescence Protein (EGFP) fused to the AAEL0010824 promoter that we defined here. We showed that AAEL010824 is expressed in the anterior cells of the accessory glands, and that its RNA levels also respond to mating. In addition to further characterizing AAEL010824 expression, our results with the EGFP fusion provide a promoter for driving AG expression. By providing this information on the biology of an important male reproductive tissue and the production of one of its seminal proteins, our results lay the foundation for future work aimed at identifying novel targets for mosquito population control.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Frank W Avila
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, 423 Biotechnology Building, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | | | - Laura K Sirot
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, 423 Biotechnology Building, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Mariana F Wolfner
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, 423 Biotechnology Building, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Laura C Harrington
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, 3131 Comstock Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
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