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Morita M, Kitanobo S, Ohki S, Shiba K, Inaba K. Positive selection on ADAM10 builds species recognition in the synchronous spawning coral Acropora. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1171495. [PMID: 37152284 PMCID: PMC10157049 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1171495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The reef-building coral Acropora is a broadcast spawning hermaphrodite including more than 110 species in the Indo-Pacific. In addition, many sympatric species show synchronous spawning. The released gametes need to mate with conspecifics in the mixture of the gametes of many species for their species boundaries. However, the mechanism underlying the species recognition of conspecifics at fertilization remains unknown. We hypothesized that rapid molecular evolution (positive selection) in genes encoding gamete-composing proteins generates polymorphic regions that recognize conspecifics in the mixture of gametes from many species. We identified gamete proteins of Acropora digitifera using mass spectrometry and screened the genes that support branch site models that set the "foreground" branches showing strict fertilization specificity. ADAM10, ADAM17, Integrin α9, and Tetraspanin4 supported branch-site model and had positively selected site(s) that produced polymorphic regions. Therefore, we prepared antibodies against the proteins of A. digitifera that contained positively selected site(s) to analyze their functions in fertilization. The ADAM10 antibody reacted only with egg proteins of A. digitifera, and immunohistochemistry showed ADAM10 localized around the egg surface. Moreover, the ADAM10 antibody inhibited only A. digitifera fertilization but not the relative synchronous spawning species A. papillare. This study indicates that ADAM10 has evolved to gain fertilization specificity during speciation and contributes to species boundaries in this multi-species, synchronous-spawning, and species-rich genus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masaya Morita
- Sesoko Station, Tropical Biosphere Research Center, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Japan
- *Correspondence: Masaya Morita,
| | - Seiya Kitanobo
- Sesoko Station, Tropical Biosphere Research Center, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Japan
- Shimoda Marine Research Center, University of Tsukuba, Shimoda, Japan
| | - Shun Ohki
- Department of Immunology, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Kogiku Shiba
- Shimoda Marine Research Center, University of Tsukuba, Shimoda, Japan
| | - Kazuo Inaba
- Shimoda Marine Research Center, University of Tsukuba, Shimoda, Japan
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Hossen S, Sukhan ZP, Cho Y, Choi CY, Kho KH. Saccharides Influence Sperm Quality and Expressions of Motility and Fertilization-Associated Genes in Cryopreserved Sperm of Pacific Abalone, Haliotis discus hannai. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:935667. [PMID: 35927989 PMCID: PMC9343956 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.935667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Pacific abalone, Haliotis discus hannai, is a highly commercial seafood in Southeast Asia. The present study aimed to determine the influence of saccharides and vitamins on post-thaw sperm quality, ATP content, fertilization capacity, hatching capacity, and mRNA content of motility and fertilization-associated genes of Pacific abalone. Sperm cryopreserved using saccharides improved the post-thaw sperm quality including motility, acrosome integrity (AI), plasma membrane integrity (PMI), and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP). However, vitamins (l-ascorbic acid) did not result in any significant improvement in sperm quality. Sperm cryopreserved using saccharides also improved ATP content, DNA integrity, and mRNA content of motility and fertilization-associated genes of post-thaw sperm than sperm cryopreserved without saccharides. Among sperm cryopreserved using different saccharides, post-thaw sperm quality indicators (except PMI) and mRNA content of motility and fertilization-associated genes did not show significant differences between sperm cryopreserved using 3% sucrose (S) combined with 8% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and sperm cryopreserved using 1% glucose (G) combined with 8% ethylene glycol (EG). However, sperm cryopreserved using 3% S + 8% DMSO showed higher post-thaw sperm quality (motility: 58.4 ± 2.9%, AI: 57.1 ± 3.2%, PMI: 65.3 ± 3.3%, and MMP: 59.1 ± 3.2%), ATP content (48.4 ± 1.8 nmol/ml), and % DNA in tail (2.09 ± 0.20%) than sperm cryopreserved using other saccharides. When sperms were cryopreserved using 3% S + 8% DMSO, the mRNA content of motility (heat shock protein 70, HSP70; heat shock protein 90, HSP90; protein kinase A, PKA-C; axonemal protein 66.0, Axpp66.0; and tektin-4) and fertilization-associated (sperm protein 18 kDa, SP18 kDa) genes were higher than in sperm cryopreserved using other saccharides. However, changes in the mRNA contents of these genes were insignificant between sperm cryopreserved using 3% S + 8% DMSO and 1% G + 8% EG. Taken together, these results indicate that cryopreservation using 3% S + 8% DMSO can improve post-thaw sperm quality and mRNA contents better than other examined cryoprotectants. The present study suggests that 3% S + 8% DMSO is a suitable cryoprotectant for sperm cryopreservation and molecular conservation of this valuable species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaharior Hossen
- Department of Fisheries Science, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Chonnam National University, Yeosu, South Korea
| | - Zahid Parvez Sukhan
- Department of Fisheries Science, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Chonnam National University, Yeosu, South Korea
| | - Yusin Cho
- Department of Fisheries Science, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Chonnam National University, Yeosu, South Korea
| | - Cheol Young Choi
- Division of Marine BioScience, National Korea Maritime and Ocean University, Busan, South Korea
| | - Kang Hee Kho
- Department of Fisheries Science, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Chonnam National University, Yeosu, South Korea
- *Correspondence: Kang Hee Kho,
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3
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Roberts EK, Tardif S, Wright EA, Platt RN, Bradley RD, Hardy DM. Rapid divergence of a gamete recognition gene promoted macroevolution of Eutheria. Genome Biol 2022; 23:155. [PMID: 35821049 PMCID: PMC9275260 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-022-02721-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Speciation genes contribute disproportionately to species divergence, but few examples exist, especially in vertebrates. Here we test whether Zan, which encodes the sperm acrosomal protein zonadhesin that mediates species-specific adhesion to the egg's zona pellucida, is a speciation gene in placental mammals. RESULTS Genomic ontogeny reveals that Zan arose by repurposing of a stem vertebrate gene that was lost in multiple lineages but retained in Eutheria on acquiring a function in egg recognition. A 112-species Zan sequence phylogeny, representing 17 of 19 placental Orders, resolves all species into monophyletic groups corresponding to recognized Orders and Suborders, with <5% unsupported nodes. Three other rapidly evolving germ cell genes (Adam2, Zp2, and Prm1), a paralogous somatic cell gene (TectA), and a mitochondrial gene commonly used for phylogenetic analyses (Cytb) all yield trees with poorer resolution than the Zan tree and inferior topologies relative to a widely accepted mammalian supertree. Zan divergence by intense positive selection produces dramatic species differences in the protein's properties, with ordinal divergence rates generally reflecting species richness of placental Orders consistent with expectations for a speciation gene that acts across a wide range of taxa. Furthermore, Zan's combined phylogenetic utility and divergence exceeds those of all other genes known to have evolved in Eutheria by positive selection, including the only other mammalian speciation gene, Prdm9. CONCLUSIONS Species-specific egg recognition conferred by Zan's functional divergence served as a mode of prezygotic reproductive isolation that promoted the extraordinary adaptive radiation and success of Eutheria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma K Roberts
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA.,Department of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA
| | - Steve Tardif
- Department of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA.,Reproductive Biology Division, JangoBio, Fitchburg, WI, USA
| | - Emily A Wright
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA
| | - Roy N Platt
- Host-Pathogen Interaction Program, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Robert D Bradley
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA.,Natural Science Research Laboratory, Museum of Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA
| | - Daniel M Hardy
- Department of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA.
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Carlisle JA, Glenski MA, Swanson WJ. Recurrent Duplication and Diversification of Acrosomal Fertilization Proteins in Abalone. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:795273. [PMID: 35465314 PMCID: PMC9022041 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.795273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Reproductive proteins mediating fertilization commonly exhibit rapid sequence diversification driven by positive selection. This pattern has been observed among nearly all taxonomic groups, including mammals, invertebrates, and plants, and is remarkable given the essential nature of the molecular interactions mediating fertilization. Gene duplication is another important mechanism that facilitates the generation of molecular novelty through functional divergence. Following duplication, paralogs may partition ancestral gene function (subfunctionalization) or acquire new roles (neofunctionalization). However, the contributions of duplication followed by sequence diversification to the molecular diversity of gamete recognition genes has been understudied in many models of fertilization. The marine gastropod mollusk abalone is a classic model for fertilization. Its two acrosomal proteins (lysin and sp18) are ancient gene duplicates with unique gamete recognition functions. Through detailed genomic and bioinformatic analyses we show how duplication events followed by sequence diversification has played an ongoing role in the evolution of abalone acrosomal proteins. The common ancestor of abalone had four members of its acrosomal protein family in a tandem gene array that repeatedly experienced positive selection. We find that both sp18 paralogs contain positively selected sites located in different regions of the paralogs, suggestive of functional divergence where selection acted upon distinct binding interfaces in each paralog. Further, a more recent species-specific duplication of both lysin and sp18 in the European abalone H. tuberculata is described. Despite clade-specific acrosomal protein paralogs, there are no concomitant duplications of egg coat proteins in H. tuberculata, indicating that duplication of egg proteins per se is not responsible for retention of duplicated acrosomal proteins. We hypothesize that, in a manner analogous to host/pathogen evolution, sperm proteins are selected for increased diversity through extensive sequence divergence and recurrent duplication driven by conflict mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. A. Carlisle
- Genome Sciences Department, University of Washington Medical School, Seattle, WA, United States
- *Correspondence: J. A. Carlisle,
| | - M. A. Glenski
- Department of Biology, Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA, United States
| | - W. J. Swanson
- Genome Sciences Department, University of Washington Medical School, Seattle, WA, United States
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5
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Rivera AM, Swanson WJ. The Importance of Gene Duplication and Domain Repeat Expansion for the Function and Evolution of Fertilization Proteins. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:827454. [PMID: 35155436 PMCID: PMC8830517 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.827454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The process of gene duplication followed by gene loss or evolution of new functions has been studied extensively, yet the role gene duplication plays in the function and evolution of fertilization proteins is underappreciated. Gene duplication is observed in many fertilization protein families including Izumo, DCST, ZP, and the TFP superfamily. Molecules mediating fertilization are part of larger gene families expressed in a variety of tissues, but gene duplication followed by structural modifications has often facilitated their cooption into a fertilization function. Repeat expansions of functional domains within a gene also provide opportunities for the evolution of novel fertilization protein. ZP proteins with domain repeat expansions are linked to species-specificity in fertilization and TFP proteins that experienced domain duplications were coopted into a novel sperm function. This review outlines the importance of gene duplications and repeat domain expansions in the evolution of fertilization proteins.
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Choi MJ, Oh YD, Kim YR, Lim HK, Kim JM. Use of a gene encoding zona pellucida 4 as a female-specific marker for early stage sexual differentiation and size dimorphism in the pacific abalone Haliotis discus hannai. Anim Reprod Sci 2021; 225:106687. [PMID: 33454618 DOI: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2021.106687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2020] [Revised: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Growth rates of Pacific abalone Haliotis discus hannai are an important trait affecting the economic value in the abalone aquaculture industry. A reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analyses of tissues from H. discus hannai was conducted for sexually mature gonads to determine male- and female-specific target gene expression, including genes encoding zona pellucida domain 4 (zp4), sperm protein (sp) and lysin (lys), respectively. Sex-specific expression patterns of these gene expression, even in sexually immature abalone, indicate these genes can be used as sensitive and robust sex-specific molecular markers. The RT-PCR procedure was also performed to analyze tissues collected at various developmental stages (50-day intervals) beginning at fertilization to determine when sex differentiation and expression of sex-specific genes was initiated. Detection of zp4 transcript in tissues collected at 200 days post-fertilization (dpf) indicated egg-specific development starts at 150-200 dpf. To evaluate possible sex-specific differences in growth rate, there was conducting of a molecular marker-based sex identification of abalone from a population selected for rapid growth rate. In a group of large H. discus hannai, females were more prevalent than males. To assess the correlation between growth and sex, there was comparison of weights of 3-year-old Pacific abalone in specimens where there had been sex determinations by visual examination and molecular methods. The results indicated females weighed more (55.92 ± 9.38 g, n = 15) than males (43.64 ± 15.55 g, n = 6, P = 0.037), indicating females had a more rapid growth rate than males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mi-Jin Choi
- Department of Fisheries Biology, PuKyong National University, Busan, 48513, Republic of Korea
| | - Young Dae Oh
- Department of Biomedicine, Health & Life Convergence Sciences, BK21, College of Pharmacy Mokpo National University, Muan-gun 58554, Republic of Korea
| | - Yeo Reum Kim
- Department of Fisheries Biology, PuKyong National University, Busan, 48513, Republic of Korea
| | - Han Kyu Lim
- Department of Biomedicine, Health & Life Convergence Sciences, BK21, College of Pharmacy Mokpo National University, Muan-gun 58554, Republic of Korea.
| | - Jong-Myoung Kim
- Department of Fisheries Biology, PuKyong National University, Busan, 48513, Republic of Korea.
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7
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Wang G, Farzaneh M. Mini Review; Differentiation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells into Oocytes. Curr Stem Cell Res Ther 2020; 15:301-307. [DOI: 10.2174/1574888x15666200116100121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2019] [Revised: 12/13/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Primary Ovarian Insufficiency (POI) is one of the main diseases causing female infertility
that occurs in about 1% of women between 30-40 years of age. There are few effective methods for
the treatment of women with POI. In the past few years, stem cell-based therapy as one of the most
highly investigated new therapies has emerged as a promising strategy for the treatment of POI. Human
pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) can self-renew indefinitely and differentiate into any type of cell.
Human Embryonic Stem Cells (hESCs) as a type of pluripotent stem cells are the most powerful candidate
for the treatment of POI. Human-induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (hiPSCs) are derived from
adult somatic cells by the treatment with exogenous defined factors to create an embryonic-like pluripotent
state. Both hiPSCs and hESCs can proliferate and give rise to ectodermal, mesodermal, endodermal,
and germ cell lineages. After ovarian stimulation, the number of available oocytes is limited
and the yield of total oocytes with high quality is low. Therefore, a robust and reproducible in-vitro
culture system that supports the differentiation of human oocytes from PSCs is necessary. Very few
studies have focused on the derivation of oocyte-like cells from hiPSCs and the details of hPSCs differentiation
into oocytes have not been fully investigated. Therefore, in this review, we focus on the
differentiation potential of hPSCs into human oocyte-like cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaifang Wang
- Department of Life Sciences, Luliang University Lvliang, 033000, China
| | - Maryam Farzaneh
- Physiology Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
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Wilburn DB, Tuttle LM, Klevit RE, Swanson WJ. Indirect sexual selection drives rapid sperm protein evolution in abalone. eLife 2019; 8:e52628. [PMID: 31868593 PMCID: PMC6952181 DOI: 10.7554/elife.52628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual selection can explain the rapid evolution of fertilization proteins, yet sperm proteins evolve rapidly even if not directly involved in fertilization. In the marine mollusk abalone, sperm secrete enormous quantities of two rapidly evolving proteins, lysin and sp18, that are stored at nearly molar concentrations. We demonstrate that this extraordinary packaging is achieved by associating into Fuzzy Interacting Transient Zwitterion (FITZ) complexes upon binding the intrinsically disordered FITZ Anionic Partner (FITZAP). FITZ complexes form at intracellular ionic strengths and, upon exocytosis into seawater, lysin and sp18 are dispersed to drive fertilization. NMR analyses revealed that lysin uses a common molecular interface to bind both FITZAP and its egg receptor VERL. As sexual selection alters the lysin-VERL interface, FITZAP coevolves rapidly to maintain lysin binding. FITZAP-lysin interactions exhibit a similar species-specificity as lysin-VERL interactions. Thus, tethered molecular arms races driven by sexual selection can generally explain rapid sperm protein evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lisa M Tuttle
- Department of BiochemistryUniversity of WashingtonSeattleUnited States
| | - Rachel E Klevit
- Department of BiochemistryUniversity of WashingtonSeattleUnited States
| | - Willie J Swanson
- Department of Genome SciencesUniversity of WashingtonSeattleUnited States
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9
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Morita M, Ugwu SI, Kohda M. Variations in the breeding behavior of cichlids and the evolution of the multi-functional seminal plasma protein, seminal plasma glycoprotein 120. BMC Evol Biol 2018; 18:197. [PMID: 30572831 PMCID: PMC6302530 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-018-1292-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2018] [Accepted: 11/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Seminal plasma proteins are associated with successful fertilization. However, their evolutionary correlation with fertilization mechanisms remains unclear. Cichlids from Lake Tanganyika show a variety-rich spawning behavior that is associated with the transfer of the sperm to the egg for fertilization. One of these behaviors, called “oral fertilization,” emerged during their speciation. In oral fertilization, females nuzzle the milt from male genitalia and pick up the released eggs in their mouths, which are then fertilized inside the oral cavity. Thus, the success of the fertilization is dependent on the retention of sperm in the oral cavity during spawning. Sperm aggregation and immobilization in viscous seminal plasma may help retain the sperm inside the oral cavity, which ultimately determines the success of the fertilization. Seminal plasma glycoprotein 120 (SPP120) is one of the major seminal plasma proteins present in cichlids. SPP120 has been implicated to immobilize sperm and increase the milt viscosity. However, the functional linkage between oral fertilization and seminal plasma proteins has not been investigated. Results During trials of simulated oral fertilization, it was observed that milt viscosity contributed to fertilization success by facilitating longer retention of the milt inside the mouth during spawning. Glycosylation of SPP120 was associated with high milt viscosity. Its glycosylation was specifically present in the milt of cichlid species exhibiting oral fertilization. Moreover, recombinant SPP120 from several the oral fertilization species strongly immobilized/aggregated sperm. Therefore, the functions of SPP120 (immobilization/aggregation and its glycosylation) may contribute to success of oral fertilization, and these functions of SPP120 are more prominent in oral fertilization species. In addition, comparative phylogenetic analyses showed a positive evolutionary correlation between SPP120 function and oral fertilization. Hence, these evolutions may have occurred to keep up with the transition in the mode of fertilization. In addition, rapid evolution in the molecular sequence might be associated with functional modifications of SPP120. Conclusion These results suggest that SPP120 might be associated with oral fertilization. In other words, reproductive traits that define the interaction between sperms and eggs could be the evolutionary selective force that cause the rapid functional modification of the fertilization-related reproductive protein, SPP120. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12862-018-1292-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masaya Morita
- Sesoko Station, Tropical Biosphere Research Center, University of the Ryukyus, Sesoko, Motobu, Okinawa, 905-0227, Japan.
| | - Stanley Ifeanyi Ugwu
- Sesoko Station, Tropical Biosphere Research Center, University of the Ryukyus, Sesoko, Motobu, Okinawa, 905-0227, Japan
| | - Masanori Kohda
- Laboratory of Animal Sociology, Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of Sciences, Osaka City University, Sumiyoshi, Osaka, 558-8585, Japan
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10
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Feng JM, Tian HF, Hu QM, Meng Y, Xiao HB. Evolution and multiple origins of zona pellucida genes in vertebrates. Biol Open 2018; 7:7/11/bio036137. [PMID: 30425109 PMCID: PMC6262864 DOI: 10.1242/bio.036137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal egg coats are composed of different glycoproteins collectively named zona pellucida (ZP) proteins. The characterized vertebrate genes encoding ZP proteins have been classified into six subfamilies, and exhibit low similarity to the ZP genes characterized in certain invertebrates. The origin and evolution of the vertebrate ZP genes remain obscure. A search against 97 representative metazoan species revealed various numbers (ranging from three to 33) of different putative egg-coat ZP genes in all 47 vertebrates and several ZP genes in five invertebrate species, but no putative ZP gene was found in the other 45 species. Based on phylogenetic and synteny analyses, all vertebrate egg-coat ZP genes were classified into eight ZP gene subfamilies. Lineage- and species-specific gene duplications and gene losses occurred frequently and represented the main causes of the patchy distribution of the eight ZP gene subfamilies in vertebrates. Thorough phylogenetic analyses revealed that the vertebrate ZP genes could be traced to three independent origins but were not orthologues of the characterized invertebrate ZP genes. Our results suggested that vertebrate egg-coat ZP genes should be classified into eight subfamilies, and a putative evolutionary map is proposed. These findings would aid the functional and evolutionary analyses of these reproductive genes in vertebrates. Summary: Phylogenetic and synteny analyses indicate that the vertebrate zona pellucida (ZP) genes encoding egg coat proteins can be classified into eight subfamilies, and the evolutionary origins of these genes are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin-Mei Feng
- Department of Pathogenic Biology, School of Medicine, Jianghan University, Wuhan, Hubei Province 430056, China
| | - Hai-Feng Tian
- Department of Aquaculture and Genetics Breeding, Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Wuhan 430223, Hubei Province, China
| | - Qiao-Mu Hu
- Department of Aquaculture and Genetics Breeding, Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Wuhan 430223, Hubei Province, China
| | - Yan Meng
- Department of Aquaculture and Genetics Breeding, Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Wuhan 430223, Hubei Province, China
| | - Han-Bing Xiao
- Department of Aquaculture and Genetics Breeding, Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Wuhan 430223, Hubei Province, China
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11
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Yu L, Xu D, Ye H, Yue H, Ooka S, Kondo H, Yazawa R, Takeuchi Y. Gonadal Transcriptome Analysis of Pacific Abalone Haliotis discus discus: Identification of Genes Involved in Germ Cell Development. MARINE BIOTECHNOLOGY (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2018; 20:467-480. [PMID: 29616430 DOI: 10.1007/s10126-018-9809-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2017] [Accepted: 03/08/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Little is known about the molecular mechanisms governing gonadal developmental processes in abalones. Here, we conducted transcriptome analysis of Pacific abalone Haliotis discus discus for gene discovery in the brain, ovary, testis, and unfertilized eggs. Among the annotated unigenes, 48.6% of unigenes were identified by Venn diagram analysis as having universal or tissue-specific expression. Twenty-three genes with gonad-biased gene ontology (GO) terms were first obtained. Secondly, 36 genes were found by screening known gene names related to germ cell development. Finally, 17 genes were obtained by querying the annotated unigene database for zygotically expressed gonadal genes (ovary and testis) and maternally expressed gonadal genes (ovary, testis, and unfertilized eggs) using keywords related to reproduction. To further verify tissue distribution pattern and subcellular localization of these genes, RT-PCR and in situ hybridization were performed using a unigene encoding a germ cell marker, vasa, as control. The results showed that vasa was expressed mainly in the early developmental stages of germ cells in both sexes. One of the candidate genes, vitelline envelope zona pellucida domain protein 12 (ZP12), was expressed in the primordial germ cells of immature gonad and early developmental stages of germ cells of the adult female. The results obtained from the present study suggest that vasa and ZP12 are involved in germ cell development of Pacific abalone and that ZP12 is an especially useful germ cell-specific marker in immature adults. The current gonadal transcriptome profile is an extensive resource for future reproductive molecular biology studies of this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingyun Yu
- Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, 670 Banda, Tateyama, Chiba, 294-0308, Japan
| | - Dongdong Xu
- Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, 670 Banda, Tateyama, Chiba, 294-0308, Japan
- Marine Fishery Institute of Zhejiang Province, Key Lab of Mariculture and Enhancement of Zhejiang Province, Zhoushan, Zhejiang Province, 316100, China
| | - Huan Ye
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Biodiversity Conservation, Ministry of Agriculture of China, Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Wuhan, 430223, China
| | - Huamei Yue
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Biodiversity Conservation, Ministry of Agriculture of China, Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Wuhan, 430223, China
| | - Shioh Ooka
- Japan Ocean Resources Development and Engineering Co., Ltd., 7-1 Jizohamacho, Kishiwada, Osaka, 596-0015, Japan
| | - Hidehiro Kondo
- Department of Marine Bioscience, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, Minato, Konan 4-5-7, Tokyo, 108-8477, Japan
| | - Ryosuke Yazawa
- Department of Marine Bioscience, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, Minato, Konan 4-5-7, Tokyo, 108-8477, Japan
| | - Yutaka Takeuchi
- Faculty of Fisheries, Kagoshima University, 4-50-20 Shimoarata, Kagoshima, 890-0056, Japan.
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Kekäläinen J, Evans JP. Gamete-mediated mate choice: towards a more inclusive view of sexual selection. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:20180836. [PMID: 30051836 PMCID: PMC6083266 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2018] [Accepted: 06/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
'Sperm competition'-where ejaculates from two or more males compete for fertilization-and 'cryptic female choice'-where females bias this contest to suit their reproductive interests-are now part of the everyday lexicon of sexual selection. Yet the physiological processes that underlie these post-ejaculatory episodes of sexual selection remain largely enigmatic. In this review, we focus on a range of post-ejaculatory cellular- and molecular-level processes, known to be fundamental for fertilization across most (if not all) sexually reproducing species, and point to their putative role in facilitating sexual selection at the level of the cells and gametes, called 'gamete-mediated mate choice' (GMMC). In this way, we collate accumulated evidence for GMMC across different mating systems, and emphasize the evolutionary significance of such non-random interactions among gametes. Our overall aim in this review is to build a more inclusive view of sexual selection by showing that mate choice often acts in more nuanced ways than has traditionally been assumed. We also aim to bridge the conceptual divide between proximal mechanisms of reproduction, and adaptive explanations for patterns of non-random sperm-egg interactions that are emerging across an increasingly diverse array of taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jukka Kekäläinen
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
| | - Jonathan P Evans
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
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13
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Abstract
The egg coat, an extracellular matrix made up of glycoprotein filaments, plays a key role in animal fertilization by acting as a gatekeeper for sperm. Egg coat components polymerize using a common zona pellucida (ZP) "domain" module that consists of two related immunoglobulin-like domains, called ZP-N and ZP-C. The ZP module has also been recognized in a large number of other secreted proteins with different biological functions, whose mutations are linked to severe human diseases. During the last decade, tremendous progress has been made toward understanding the atomic architecture of the ZP module and the structural basis of its polymerization. Moreover, sperm-binding regions at the N-terminus of mollusk and mammalian egg coat subunits were found to consist of domain repeats that also adopt a ZP-N fold. This discovery revealed an unexpected link between invertebrate and vertebrate fertilization and led to the first structure of an egg coat-sperm protein recognition complex. In this review we summarize these exciting findings, discuss their functional implications, and outline future challenges that must be addressed in order to develop a comprehensive view of this family of biomedically important extracellular molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcel Bokhove
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition & Center for Innovative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Luca Jovine
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition & Center for Innovative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden.
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14
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Abstract
All animal oocytes are surrounded by a glycoproteinaceous egg coat, a specialized extracellular matrix that serves both structural and species-specific roles during fertilization. Egg coat glycoproteins polymerize into the extracellular matrix of the egg coat using a conserved protein-protein interaction module-the zona pellucida (ZP) domain-common to both vertebrates and invertebrates, suggesting that the basic structural features of egg coats have been conserved across hundreds of millions of years of evolution. Egg coat proteins, as with other proteins involved in reproduction, are frequently found to be rapidly evolving. Given that gamete compatibility must be maintained for the fitness of sexually reproducing organisms, this finding is somewhat paradoxical and suggests a role for adaptive diversification in reproductive protein evolution. Here we review the structure and function of metazoan egg coat proteins, with an emphasis on the potential role their evolution has played in the creation and maintenance of species boundaries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily E Killingbeck
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.
| | - Willie J Swanson
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.
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15
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Solution structure of sperm lysin yields novel insights into molecular dynamics of rapid protein evolution. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:1310-1315. [PMID: 29348201 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1709061115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein evolution is driven by the sum of different physiochemical and genetic processes that usually results in strong purifying selection to maintain biochemical functions. However, proteins that are part of systems under arms race dynamics often evolve at unparalleled rates that can produce atypical biochemical properties. In the marine mollusk abalone, lysin and vitelline envelope receptor for lysin (VERL) are a pair of rapidly coevolving proteins that are essential for species-specific interactions between sperm and egg. Despite extensive biochemical characterization of lysin-including crystal structures of multiple orthologs-it was unclear how sites under positive selection may facilitate recognition of VERL. Using a combination of targeted mutagenesis and multidimensional NMR, we present a high-definition solution structure of sperm lysin from red abalone (Haliotis rufescens). Unapparent from the crystallography data, multiple NMR-based analyses conducted in solution reveal clustering of the N and C termini to form a nexus of 13 positively selected sites that constitute a VERL binding interface. Evolutionary rate was found to be a significant predictor of backbone flexibility, which may be critical for lysin bioactivity and/or accelerated evolution. Flexible, rapidly evolving segments that constitute the VERL binding interface were also the most distorted regions of the crystal structure relative to what was observed in solution. While lysin has been the subject of extensive biochemical and evolutionary analyses for more than 30 years, this study highlights the enhanced insights gained from applying NMR approaches to rapidly evolving proteins.
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16
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Raj I, Sadat Al Hosseini H, Dioguardi E, Nishimura K, Han L, Villa A, de Sanctis D, Jovine L. Structural Basis of Egg Coat-Sperm Recognition at Fertilization. Cell 2017. [PMID: 28622512 PMCID: PMC5480393 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2017.05.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Recognition between sperm and the egg surface marks the beginning of life in all sexually reproducing organisms. This fundamental biological event depends on the species-specific interaction between rapidly evolving counterpart molecules on the gametes. We report biochemical, crystallographic, and mutational studies of domain repeats 1–3 of invertebrate egg coat protein VERL and their interaction with cognate sperm protein lysin. VERL repeats fold like the functionally essential N-terminal repeat of mammalian sperm receptor ZP2, whose structure is also described here. Whereas sequence-divergent repeat 1 does not bind lysin, repeat 3 binds it non-species specifically via a high-affinity, largely hydrophobic interface. Due to its intermediate binding affinity, repeat 2 selectively interacts with lysin from the same species. Exposure of a highly positively charged surface of VERL-bound lysin suggests that complex formation both disrupts the organization of egg coat filaments and triggers their electrostatic repulsion, thereby opening a hole for sperm penetration and fusion. Sperm-binding repeats of mollusk VERL and mouse ZP2 egg coat proteins fold similarly Structures of VERL/lysin complexes reveal the atomic basis of egg coat-sperm recognition A medium-affinity VERL repeat selectively binds lysin from the same species VERL/lysin recognition suggests a mechanism for sperm penetration through the egg coat
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Affiliation(s)
- Isha Raj
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition and Center for Innovative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, SE-141 83, Sweden
| | - Hamed Sadat Al Hosseini
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition and Center for Innovative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, SE-141 83, Sweden
| | - Elisa Dioguardi
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition and Center for Innovative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, SE-141 83, Sweden
| | - Kaoru Nishimura
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition and Center for Innovative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, SE-141 83, Sweden
| | - Ling Han
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition and Center for Innovative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, SE-141 83, Sweden
| | - Alessandra Villa
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition and Center for Innovative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, SE-141 83, Sweden
| | - Daniele de Sanctis
- ESRF - The European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Grenoble 38000, France
| | - Luca Jovine
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition and Center for Innovative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, SE-141 83, Sweden.
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17
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Characterization and spatiotemporal expression of gonadotropin-releasing hormone in the Pacific abalone, Haliotis discus hannai. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2017; 209:1-9. [PMID: 28408352 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2017.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2017] [Revised: 03/23/2017] [Accepted: 04/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is a key neuropeptide regulating reproduction in humans and other vertebrates. Recently, GnRH-like cDNAs and peptides were reported in marine mollusks, implying that GnRH-mediated reproduction is an ancient neuroendocrine system that arose prior to the divergence of protostomes and deuterostomes. Here, we evaluated the reproductive control system mediated by GnRH in the Pacific abalone Haliotis discus hannai. We cloned a prepro-GnRH cDNA (Hdh-GnRH) from the pleural-pedal ganglion (PPG) in H. discus hannai, and analyzed its spatiotemporal gene expression pattern. The open reading frame of Hdh-GnRH encodes a protein of 101 amino acids, consisting of a signal peptide, a GnRH dodecapeptide, a cleavage site, and a GnRH-associated peptide. This structure and sequence are highly similar to GnRH-like peptides reported for mollusks and other invertebrates. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction demonstrated that Hdh-GnRH mRNA was more strongly expressed in the ganglions (PPG and cerebral ganglion [CG]) than in other tissues (gonads, gills, intestine, hemocytes, muscle, and mantle) in both sexes. In females, the expression levels of Hdh-GnRH mRNA in the PPG and branchial ganglion (BG) were significantly higher at the ripe and partial spent stages than at the early and late active stages. In males, Hdh-GnRH mRNA levels in the BG showed a significant increase in the partial spent stage. Unexpectedly, Hdh-GnRH levels in the CG were not significantly different among the examined stages in both sexes. These results suggest that Hdh-GnRH mRNA expression profiles in the BG and possibly the PPG are tightly correlated with abalone reproductive activities.
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Louros NN, Chrysina ED, Baltatzis GE, Patsouris ES, Hamodrakas SJ, Iconomidou VA. A common 'aggregation-prone' interface possibly participates in the self-assembly of human zona pellucida proteins. FEBS Lett 2016; 590:619-30. [PMID: 26879157 DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.12099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2015] [Revised: 02/01/2016] [Accepted: 02/05/2016] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Human zona pellucida (ZP) is composed of four glycoproteins, namely ZP1, ZP2, ZP3 and ZP4. ZP proteins form heterodimers, which are incorporated into filaments through a common bipartite polymerizing component, designated as the ZP domain. The latter is composed of two individually folded subdomains, named ZP-N and ZP-C. Here, we have synthesized six 'aggregation-prone' peptides, corresponding to a common interface of human ZP2, ZP3 and ZP4. Experimental results utilizing electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, ATR FT-IR spectroscopy and polarizing microscopy indicate that these peptides self-assemble forming fibrils with distinct amyloid-like features. Finally, by performing detailed modeling and docking, we attempt to shed some light in the self-assembly mechanism of human ZP proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolaos N Louros
- Department of Cell Biology and Biophysics, Faculty of Biology, University of Athens, Greece
| | - Evangelia D Chrysina
- Institute of Biology, Medicinal Chemistry and Biotechnology, National Hellenic Research Foundation, Athens, Greece
| | | | | | - Stavros J Hamodrakas
- Department of Cell Biology and Biophysics, Faculty of Biology, University of Athens, Greece
| | - Vassiliki A Iconomidou
- Department of Cell Biology and Biophysics, Faculty of Biology, University of Athens, Greece
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19
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Heras J, McClintock K, Sunagawa S, Aguilar A. Gonadal transcriptomics elucidate patterns of adaptive evolution within marine rockfishes (Sebastes). BMC Genomics 2015; 16:656. [PMID: 26329285 PMCID: PMC4557894 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-015-1870-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2014] [Accepted: 08/20/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The genetic mechanisms of speciation and adaptation in the marine environment are not well understood. The rockfish genus Sebastes provides a unique model system for studying adaptive evolution because of the extensive diversity found within this group, which includes morphology, ecology, and a broad range of life spans. Examples of adaptive radiations within marine ecosystems are considered an anomaly due to the absence of geographical barriers and the presence of gene flow. Using marine rockfishes, we identified signatures of natural selection from transcriptomes developed from gonadal tissue of two rockfish species (Sebastes goodei and S. saxicola). We predicted orthologous transcript pairs, and estimated their distributions of nonsynonymous (Ka) and synonymous (Ks) substitution rates. Results We identified 144 genes out of 1079 orthologous pairs under positive selection, of which 11 are functionally annotated to reproduction based on gene ontologies (GOs). One orthologous pair of the zona pellucida gene family, which is known for its role in the selection of sperm by oocytes, out of ten was identified to be evolving under positive selection. In addition to our results in the protein coding-regions of transcripts, we found substitution rates in 3’ and 5’ UTRs to be significantly lower than Ks substitution rates implying negative selection in these regions. Conclusions We were able to identify a series of candidate genes that are useful for the assessment of the critical genes that diverged and are responsible for the radiation within this genus. Genes associated with longevity hold potential for understanding the molecular mechanisms that have contributed to the radiation within this genus. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1870-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Heras
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Irvine, 321 Steinhaus Hall, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA.
| | - Kelly McClintock
- School of Natural Sciences and Graduate Group in Quantitative and Systems Biology, University of California Merced, 5200 N Lake Rd, Merced, CA, 95344, USA.
| | - Shinichi Sunagawa
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Meyerhofstr 1, 69117, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Andres Aguilar
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University Los Angeles, 5151 State University Dr, Los Angeles, CA, 90032, USA.
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20
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Shu L, Suter MJF, Räsänen K. Evolution of egg coats: linking molecular biology and ecology. Mol Ecol 2015; 24:4052-73. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.13283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2014] [Revised: 06/12/2015] [Accepted: 06/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Longfei Shu
- Department of Aquatic Ecology; Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology; Eawag; 8600 Duebendorf Switzerland
- Institute of Integrative Biology; ETH Zurich; 8092 Zurich Switzerland
| | - Marc J.-F. Suter
- Department of Environmental Toxicology; Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology; Eawag; 8600 Duebendorf Switzerland
- Department of Environmental Systems Science; Swiss Federal Institute of Technology; ETH Zurich; 8092 Zurich Switzerland
| | - Katja Räsänen
- Department of Aquatic Ecology; Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology; Eawag; 8600 Duebendorf Switzerland
- Institute of Integrative Biology; ETH Zurich; 8092 Zurich Switzerland
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21
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Wilburn DB, Swanson WJ. From molecules to mating: Rapid evolution and biochemical studies of reproductive proteins. J Proteomics 2015; 135:12-25. [PMID: 26074353 DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2015.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2015] [Revised: 06/09/2015] [Accepted: 06/10/2015] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Sexual reproduction and the exchange of genetic information are essential biological processes for species across all branches of the tree of life. Over the last four decades, biochemists have continued to identify many of the factors that facilitate reproduction, but the molecular mechanisms that mediate this process continue to elude us. However, a recurring observation in this research has been the rapid evolution of reproductive proteins. In animals, the competing interests of males and females often result in arms race dynamics between pairs of interacting proteins. This phenomenon has been observed in all stages of reproduction, including pheromones, seminal fluid components, and gamete recognition proteins. In this article, we review how the integration of evolutionary theory with biochemical experiments can be used to study interacting reproductive proteins. Examples are included from both model and non-model organisms, and recent studies are highlighted for their use of state-of-the-art genomic and proteomic techniques. SIGNIFICANCE Despite decades of research, our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that mediate fertilization remain poorly characterized. To date, molecular evolutionary studies on both model and non-model organisms have provided some of the best inferences to elucidating the molecular underpinnings of animal reproduction. This review article details how biochemical and evolutionary experiments have jointly enhanced the field for 40 years, and how recent work using high-throughput genomic and proteomic techniques have shed additional insights into this crucial biological process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damien B Wilburn
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, United States.
| | - Willie J Swanson
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, United States
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22
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Egge N, Muthusubramanian A, Cornwall GA. Amyloid properties of the mouse egg zona pellucida. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0129907. [PMID: 26043223 PMCID: PMC4456372 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0129907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2015] [Accepted: 05/14/2015] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The zona pellucida (ZP) surrounding the oocyte is an extracellular fibrillar matrix that plays critical roles during fertilization including species-specific gamete recognition and protection from polyspermy. The mouse ZP is composed of three proteins, ZP1, ZP2, and ZP3, all of which have a ZP polymerization domain that directs protein fibril formation and assembly into the three-dimensional ZP matrix. Egg coats surrounding oocytes in nonmammalian vertebrates and in invertebrates are also fibrillar matrices and are composed of ZP domain-containing proteins suggesting the basic structure and function of the ZP/egg coat is highly conserved. However, sequence similarity between ZP domains is low across species and thus the mechanism for the conservation of ZP/egg coat structure and its function is not known. Using approaches classically used to identify amyloid including conformation-dependent antibodies and dyes, X-ray diffraction, and negative stain electron microscopy, our studies suggest the mouse ZP is a functional amyloid. Amyloids are cross-β sheet fibrillar structures that, while typically associated with neurodegenerative and prion diseases in mammals, can also carry out functional roles in normal cells without resulting pathology. An analysis of the ZP domain from mouse ZP3 and ZP3 homologs from five additional taxa using the algorithm AmylPred 2 to identify amyloidogenic sites, revealed in all taxa a remarkable conservation of regions that were predicted to form amyloid. This included a conserved amyloidogenic region that localized to a stretch of hydrophobic amino acids previously shown in mouse ZP3 to be essential for fibril assembly. Similarly, a domain in the yeast protein α-agglutinin/Sag 1p, that possesses ZP domain-like features and which is essential for mating, also had sites that were predicted to be amyloidogenic including a hydrophobic stretch that appeared analogous to the critical site in mouse ZP3. Together, these studies suggest that amyloidogenesis may be a conserved mechanism for ZP structure and function across billions of years of evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan Egge
- Department of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas, United States of America
| | - Archana Muthusubramanian
- Department of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas, United States of America
| | - Gail A. Cornwall
- Department of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Adaptive evolution of genes involved in the regulation of germline stem cells in Drosophila melanogaster and D. simulans. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2015; 5:583-92. [PMID: 25670770 PMCID: PMC4390574 DOI: 10.1534/g3.114.015875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Population genetic and comparative analyses in diverse taxa have shown that numerous genes involved in reproduction are adaptively evolving. Two genes involved in germline stem cell regulation, bag of marbles (bam) and benign gonial cell neoplasm (bgcn), have been shown previously to experience recurrent, adaptive evolution in both Drosophila melanogaster and D. simulans. Here we report a population genetic survey on eight additional genes involved in germline stem cell regulation in D. melanogaster and D. simulans that reveals all eight of these genes reject a neutral model of evolution in at least one test and one species after correction for multiple testing using a false-discovery rate of 0.05. These genes play diverse roles in the regulation of germline stem cells, suggesting that positive selection in response to several evolutionary pressures may be acting to drive the adaptive evolution of these genes.
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24
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Stapper AP, Beerli P, Levitan DR. Assortative mating drives linkage disequilibrium between sperm and egg recognition protein loci in the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. Mol Biol Evol 2015; 32:859-70. [PMID: 25618458 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msv010] [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] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Sperm and eggs have interacting proteins on their surfaces that influence their compatibility during fertilization. These proteins are often polymorphic within species, producing variation in gamete affinities. We first demonstrate the fitness consequences of various sperm bindin protein (Bindin) variants in the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, and assortative mating between males and females based on their sperm Bindin genotype. This empirical finding of assortative mating based on sperm Bindin genotype could arise by linkage disequilibrium (LD) between interacting sperm and egg recognition loci. We then examine sequence variation in eight exons of the sea urchin egg receptor for sperm Bindin (EBR1). We find little evidence of LD among the eight exons of EBR1, yet strong evidence for LD between sperm Bindin and EBR1 overall, and varying degrees of LD between sperm Bindin among the eight exons. We reject the alternate hypotheses of LD driven by shared evolutionary histories, population structure, or close physical linkage between these interacting loci on the genome. The most parsimonious explanation for this pattern of LD is that it represents selection driven by assortative mating based on interactions among these sperm and egg loci. These findings indicate the importance of ongoing sexual selection in the maintenance of protein polymorphisms and LD, and more generally highlight how LD can be used as an indication of current mate choice, as opposed to historic selection.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Peter Beerli
- Department of Scientific Computing, Florida State University
| | - Don R Levitan
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University
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25
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Kosman ET, Levitan DR. Sperm competition and the evolution of gametic compatibility in externally fertilizing taxa. Mol Hum Reprod 2014; 20:1190-7. [PMID: 25323969 DOI: 10.1093/molehr/gau069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Proteins expressed on the surface of sperm and egg mediate gametic compatibility and these proteins can be subject to intense positive selection. In this review, we discuss what is known about the patterns of adaptive evolution of gamete recognition proteins (GRPs). We focus on species that broadcast eggs and sperm into the environment for external fertilization, as the ease of observing and manipulating gamete interactions has allowed for greater advances in the understanding of GRP evolution, uncomplicated by confounding behavioral and physiological components that offer alternative evolutionary targets in internal fertilizers. We discuss whether interspecific mechanisms, such as selection to avoid fertilization between species (reinforcement selection), or intraspecific mechanisms, such as selection to increase (or decrease) the affinity between eggs and sperm based on the intensity of sperm competition, may be responsible for the pattern of GRP evolution observed. Variation in these proteins appears to influence gametic compatibility; GRP divergence among species is a better predictor of hybrid fertilization than neutral genetic markers and GRP variation within species predicts reproductive success among individuals within a population. Evidence suggests that sperm competition may play a large role in the evolution of gametic compatibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- E T Kosman
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
| | - D R Levitan
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
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26
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Exploiting genomic data to identify proteins involved in abalone reproduction. J Proteomics 2014; 108:337-53. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2014.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2014] [Revised: 05/30/2014] [Accepted: 06/02/2014] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
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27
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Matsumoto T, Masaoka T, Fujiwara A, Nakamura Y, Satoh N, Awaji M. Reproduction-related genes in the pearl oyster genome. Zoolog Sci 2013; 30:826-50. [PMID: 24125647 DOI: 10.2108/zsj.30.826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Molluscan reproduction has been a target of biological research because of the various reproductive strategies that have evolved in this phylum. It has also been studied for the development of fisheries technologies, particularly aquaculture. Although fundamental processes of reproduction in other phyla, such as vertebrates and arthropods, have been well studied, information on the molecular mechanisms of molluscan reproduction remains limited. The recently released draft genome of the pearl oyster Pinctada fucata provides a novel and powerful platform for obtaining structural information on the genes and proteins involved in bivalve reproduction. In the present study, we analyzed the pearl oyster draft genome to screen reproduction-related genes. Analysis was mainly conducted for genes reported from other molluscs for encoding orthologs of reproduction-related proteins in other phyla. The gene search in the P. fucata gene models (version 1.1) and genome assembly (version 1.0) were performed using Genome Browser and BLAST software. The obtained gene models were then BLASTP searched against a public database to confirm the best-hit sequences. As a result, more than 40 gene models were identified with high accuracy to encode reproduction-related genes reported for P. fucata and other molluscs. These include vasa, nanos, doublesex- and mab-3-related transcription factor, 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) receptors, vitellogenin, estrogen receptor, and others. The set of reproduction-related genes of P. fucata identified in the present study constitute a new tool for research on bivalve reproduction at the molecular level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toshie Matsumoto
- 1 Aquaculture Technology Division, National Research Institute of Aquaculture, Fisheries Research Agency, Minami-lse, Watarai, Mie 516-0193, Japan
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28
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Rose EG, Brand CL, Wilkinson GS. Rapid evolution of asymmetric reproductive incompatibilities in stalk-eyed flies. Evolution 2013; 68:384-96. [PMID: 24171729 DOI: 10.1111/evo.12307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2013] [Accepted: 10/22/2013] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The steps by which isolated populations acquire reproductive incompatibilities remain poorly understood. One potentially important process is postcopulatory sexual selection because it can generate divergence between populations in traits that influence fertilization success after copulation. Here we present a comprehensive analysis of this form of reproductive isolation by conducting reciprocal crosses between variably diverged populations of stalk-eyed flies (Teleopsis dalmanni). First, we measure seven types of reproductive incompatibility between copulation and fertilization. We then compare fertilization success to hatching success to quantify hybrid inviability. Finally, we determine if sperm competition acts to reinforce or counteract any incompatibilities. We find evidence for multiple incompatibilities in most crosses, including failure to store sperm after mating, failure of sperm to reach the site of fertilization, failure of sperm to fertilize eggs, and failure of embryos to develop. Local sperm have precedence over foreign sperm, but this effect is due mainly to differences in sperm transfer and reduced hatching success. Crosses between recently diverged populations are asymmetrical with regard to the degree and type of incompatibility. Because sexual conflict in these flies is low, postcopulatory sexual selection, rather than antagonistic coevolution, likely causes incompatibilities due to mismatches between male and female reproductive traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily G Rose
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, 20742
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Evans JP, Sherman CDH. Sexual selection and the evolution of egg-sperm interactions in broadcast-spawning invertebrates. THE BIOLOGICAL BULLETIN 2013; 224:166-183. [PMID: 23995741 DOI: 10.1086/bblv224n3p166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Many marine invertebrate taxa are broadcast spawners, where multiple individuals release their gametes into the water for external fertilization, often in the presence of gametes from heterospecifics. Consequently, sperm encounter the considerable challenges of locating and fertilizing eggs from conspecific females. To overcome these challenges, many taxa exhibit species-specific attraction of sperm toward eggs through chemical signals released from eggs (sperm chemotaxis) and species-specific gamete recognition proteins (GRPs) that mediate compatibility of gametes at fertilization. In this prospective review, we highlight these selective forces, but also emphasize the role that sexual selection, manifested through sperm competition, cryptic female choice, and evolutionary conflicts of interest between the sexes (sexual conflict), can also play in mediating the action of egg chemoattractants and GRPs, and thus individual reproductive fitness. Furthermore, we explore patterns of selection at the level of gametes (sperm phenotype, gamete plasticity, and egg traits) to identify putative traits targeted by sexual selection in these species. We conclude by emphasizing the excellent, but relatively untapped, potential of broadcast-spawning marine invertebrates as model systems to illuminate several areas of research in post-mating sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan P Evans
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Animal Biology, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia.
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30
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Roux A, Lambrechts H, Roodt-Wilding R. Development of an experimental laboratory fertilization protocol for the South African abalone,Haliotis midae(Linnaeus 1758). INVERTEBR REPROD DEV 2013. [DOI: 10.1080/07924259.2013.802261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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31
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Palmer MR, McDowall MH, Stewart L, Ouaddi A, MacCoss MJ, Swanson WJ. Mass spectrometry and next-generation sequencing reveal an abundant and rapidly evolving abalone sperm protein. Mol Reprod Dev 2013; 80:460-5. [PMID: 23585193 DOI: 10.1002/mrd.22182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2013] [Accepted: 04/07/2013] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Abalone, a broadcast spawning marine mollusk, is an important model for molecular interactions and positive selection in fertilization, but the focus has previously been on only two sperm proteins, lysin and sp18. We used genomic and proteomic techniques to bring new insights to this model by characterizing the testis transcriptome and sperm proteome of the Red abalone Haliotis rufescens. One pair of homologous, testis-specific proteins contains a secretion signal and is small, abundant, and associated with the acrosome. Comparative analysis revealed that homologs are extremely divergent between species, and show strong evidence for positive selection. The acrosomal localization and rapid evolution of these proteins indicates that they play an important role in fertilization, and could be involved in the species-specificity of sperm-egg interactions in abalone. Our genomic and proteomic characterization of abalone fertilization resulted in the identification of interesting, novel peptides that have eluded detection in this important model system for 20 years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melody R Palmer
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195-5065, USA.
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Aagaard JE, Springer SA, Soelberg SD, Swanson WJ. Duplicate abalone egg coat proteins bind sperm lysin similarly, but evolve oppositely, consistent with molecular mimicry at fertilization. PLoS Genet 2013; 9:e1003287. [PMID: 23408913 PMCID: PMC3567151 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1003287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2012] [Accepted: 12/14/2012] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Sperm and egg proteins constitute a remarkable paradigm in evolutionary biology: despite their fundamental role in mediating fertilization (suggesting stasis), some of these molecules are among the most rapidly evolving ones known, and their divergence can lead to reproductive isolation. Because of strong selection to maintain function among interbreeding individuals, interacting fertilization proteins should also exhibit a strong signal of correlated divergence among closely related species. We use evidence of such molecular co-evolution to target biochemical studies of fertilization in North Pacific abalone (Haliotis spp.), a model system of reproductive protein evolution. We test the evolutionary rates (dN/dS) of abalone sperm lysin and two duplicated egg coat proteins (VERL and VEZP14), and find a signal of co-evolution specific to ZP-N, a putative sperm binding motif previously identified by homology modeling. Positively selected residues in VERL and VEZP14 occur on the same face of the structural model, suggesting a common mode of interaction with sperm lysin. We test this computational prediction biochemically, confirming that the ZP-N motif is sufficient to bind lysin and that the affinities of VERL and VEZP14 are comparable. However, we also find that on phylogenetic lineages where lysin and VERL evolve rapidly, VEZP14 evolves slowly, and vice versa. We describe a model of sexual conflict that can recreate this pattern of anti-correlated evolution by assuming that VEZP14 acts as a VERL mimic, reducing the intensity of sexual conflict and slowing the co-evolution of lysin and VERL. Interacting sperm and egg proteins must co-evolve to maintain compatibility at fertilization, so their divergence among species should be correlated—lineages with rapidly evolving sperm proteins should have rapidly evolving egg proteins. We use this expectation to target biochemical studies of fertilization in a model system (abalone). We study a discrete functional domain (ZP-N) found in a pair of duplicated egg coat proteins, and we find the ZP-N motif from both proteins bind sperm lysin (a protein important for sperm passage of the egg coat) in a similar fashion. ZP-N is a feature of vertebrate and invertebrate egg coat proteins, as well as yeast mating recognition proteins, demonstrating its broad significance in sexual reproduction. Unexpectedly, we find that the ZP-N motifs of VEZP14 and VERL exhibit inverse patterns of co-evolution with lysin, suggesting that these duplicates may have opposite functions in fertilization. Using computer simulations, we model a novel explanation for this pattern whereby VEZP14 acts as a decoy of VERL in order to decrease the effective amount of sperm lysin and slow the rate of fertilization. Such molecular mimicry could complement other well-established fertilization blocks that females use to control rates of fertilization and limit polyspermy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan E Aagaard
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.
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33
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Xu Q, Li G, Cao L, Wang Z, Ye H, Chen X, Yang X, Wang Y, Chen L. Proteomic characterization and evolutionary analyses of zona pellucida domain-containing proteins in the egg coat of the cephalochordate, Branchiostoma belcheri. BMC Evol Biol 2012; 12:239. [PMID: 23216630 PMCID: PMC3543715 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-12-239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2012] [Accepted: 11/29/2012] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Zona pellucida domain-containing proteins (ZP proteins) have been identified as the principle constituents of the egg coat (EC) of diverse metazoan taxa, including jawed vertebrates, urochordates and molluscs that span hundreds of millions of years of evolutionary divergence. Although ZP proteins generally contain the zona pellucida (ZP) structural modules to fulfill sperm recognition and EC polymerization functions during fertilization, the primary sequences of the ZP proteins from the above-mentioned animal classes are drastically different, which makes it difficult to assess the evolutionary relationships of ZP proteins. To understand the origin of vertebrate ZP proteins, we characterized the egg coat components of Branchiostoma belcheri, an invertebrate species that belongs to the chordate subphylum Cephalochordata. Results Five ZP proteins (BbZP1-5) were identified by mass spectrometry analyses using the egg coat extracts from both unfertilized and fertilized eggs. In addition to the C-terminal ZP module in each of the BbZPs, the majority contain a low-density lipoprotein receptor domain and a von Willebrand factor type A (vWFA) domain, but none possess an EGF-like domain that is frequently observed in the ZP proteins of urochordates. Fluorescence in situ hybridization and immuno-histochemical analyses of B. belcheri ovaries showed that the five BbZPs are synthesized predominantly in developing eggs and deposited around the extracellular space of the egg, which indicates that they are bona fide egg coat ZP proteins. BbZP1, BbZP3 and BbZP4 are significantly more abundant than BbZP2 and BbZP5 in terms of gene expression levels and the amount of mature proteins present on the egg coats. The major ZP proteins showed high polymorphism because multiple variants are present with different molecular weights. Sequence comparison and phylogenetic analysis between the ZP proteins from cephalochordates, urochordates and vertebrates showed that BbZP1-5 form a monophyletic group and share no significant sequence similarities with the ZP proteins of urochordates and the ZP3 subtype of jawed vertebrates. By contrast, small regions of homology were identifiable between the BbZP and ZP proteins of the non-jawed vertebrate, the sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus. The lamprey ZP proteins were highly similar to the ZP1 and ZP2 subtypes of the jawed vertebrates, which suggests that the ZP proteins of basal chordates most likely shared a recent common ancestor with vertebrate ZP1/2 subtypes and lamprey ZP proteins. Conclusions The results document the spectra of zona pellucida domain-containing proteins of the egg coat of basal chordates. Particularly, the study provides solid evidence for an invertebrate origin of vertebrate ZP proteins and indicates that there are diverse domain architectures in ZP proteins of various metazoan groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianghua Xu
- Key Laboratory of Sustainable Exploitation of Oceanic Fisheries Resources, Ministry of Education, College of Marine Sciences, Shanghai Ocean University, People’s Republic of China
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Meslin C, Mugnier S, Callebaut I, Laurin M, Pascal G, Poupon A, Goudet G, Monget P. Evolution of genes involved in gamete interaction: evidence for positive selection, duplications and losses in vertebrates. PLoS One 2012; 7:e44548. [PMID: 22957080 PMCID: PMC3434135 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0044548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2012] [Accepted: 08/07/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Genes encoding proteins involved in sperm-egg interaction and fertilization exhibit a particularly fast evolution and may participate in prezygotic species isolation [1], [2]. Some of them (ZP3, ADAM1, ADAM2, ACR and CD9) have individually been shown to evolve under positive selection [3], [4], suggesting a role of positive Darwinian selection on sperm-egg interaction. However, the genes involved in this biological function have not been systematically and exhaustively studied with an evolutionary perspective, in particular across vertebrates with internal and external fertilization. Here we show that 33 genes among the 69 that have been experimentally shown to be involved in fertilization in at least one taxon in vertebrates are under positive selection. Moreover, we identified 17 pseudogenes and 39 genes that have at least one duplicate in one species. For 15 genes, we found neither positive selection, nor gene copies or pseudogenes. Genes of teleosts, especially genes involved in sperm-oolemma fusion, appear to be more frequently under positive selection than genes of birds and eutherians. In contrast, pseudogenization, gene loss and gene gain are more frequent in eutherians. Thus, each of the 19 studied vertebrate species exhibits a unique signature characterized by gene gain and loss, as well as position of amino acids under positive selection. Reflecting these clade-specific signatures, teleosts and eutherian mammals are recovered as clades in a parsimony analysis. Interestingly the same analysis places Xenopus apart from teleosts, with which it shares the primitive external fertilization, and locates it along with amniotes (which share internal fertilization), suggesting that external or internal environmental conditions of germ cell interaction may not be the unique factors that drive the evolution of fertilization genes. Our work should improve our understanding of the fertilization process and on the establishment of reproductive barriers, for example by offering new leads for experiments on genes identified as positively selected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camille Meslin
- UMR85 Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, INRA, Nouzilly, France
- UMR6175, CNRS, Nouzilly, France
- Université François Rabelais de Tours, Tours, France
- IFCE, Nouzilly, France
| | - Sylvie Mugnier
- Département Agronomie Agro-équipement Élevage Environnement, AgroSup Dijon, Dijon, France
| | | | - Michel Laurin
- UMR 7207, CNRS/MNHN/UPMC, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
| | - Géraldine Pascal
- UMR85 Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, INRA, Nouzilly, France
- UMR6175, CNRS, Nouzilly, France
- Université François Rabelais de Tours, Tours, France
- IFCE, Nouzilly, France
| | - Anne Poupon
- UMR85 Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, INRA, Nouzilly, France
- UMR6175, CNRS, Nouzilly, France
- Université François Rabelais de Tours, Tours, France
- IFCE, Nouzilly, France
| | - Ghylène Goudet
- UMR85 Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, INRA, Nouzilly, France
- UMR6175, CNRS, Nouzilly, France
- Université François Rabelais de Tours, Tours, France
- IFCE, Nouzilly, France
| | - Philippe Monget
- UMR85 Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, INRA, Nouzilly, France
- UMR6175, CNRS, Nouzilly, France
- Université François Rabelais de Tours, Tours, France
- IFCE, Nouzilly, France
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35
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Abstract
The evolution of the egg is dynamic, and eggs have numerous species-specific properties across vertebrates and invertebrates. Interestingly, although the structure and function of the egg have remained relatively conserved over time, some constituents of the egg's extracellular barriers are undergoing rapid evolution. In this article, we review current ideas regarding sperm-egg interactions, discuss genetic approaches used to elucidate egg gene functions, and highlight the interesting differences that have evolved across taxa. We suggest that the rapid evolution of egg components and the mechanisms behind sperm-egg interactions are integrally connected, and delve in depth into each component of the egg's extracellular matrices. Finally, we discuss the promising future of reproductive research and how high-throughput genomics and proteomics have the potential to revolutionize the field and provide new evidence that will challenge previously held views about the fertilization process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrina G Claw
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-5065, USA.
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36
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Hart MW, Popovic I, Emlet RB. LOW RATES OF BINDIN CODON EVOLUTION IN LECITHOTROPHIC HELIOCIDARIS SEA URCHINS. Evolution 2012; 66:1709-21. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2012.01606.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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37
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Diz AP, Martínez-Fernández M, Rolán-Alvarez E. Proteomics in evolutionary ecology: linking the genotype with the phenotype. Mol Ecol 2012; 21:1060-80. [PMID: 22268916 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294x.2011.05426.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The study of the proteome (proteomics), which includes the dynamics of protein expression, regulation, interactions and its function, has played a less prominent role in evolutionary and ecological investigations in comparison with the study of the genome and transcriptome. There are, however, a number of arguments suggesting that this situation should change. First, the proteome is closer to the phenotype than the genome or the transcriptome, and as such may be more directly responsive to natural selection, and thus closely linked to adaptation. Second, there is evidence of a low correlation between protein and transcript expression levels across genes in many different organisms. Finally, there have been some recent important technological improvements in proteomics methods that make them feasible, practical and useful to address a wide range of evolutionary questions even in nonmodel organisms. The different proteomic methods, their limitations and problems when interpreting empirical data are described and discussed. In addition, the proteomic literature pertaining to evolutionary ecology is reviewed with examples, and potential applications of proteomics in a variety of evolutionary contexts are outlined. New proteomic research trends such as the study of posttranslational modifications and protein-protein interactions, as well as the combined use of the different -omics approaches, are discussed in relation to the development of a more functional and integrated perspective, needed for achieving a more comprehensive knowledge of evolutionary change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angel P Diz
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Genética e Inmunología, Facultad de Biología, Universidade de Vigo, Vigo, Spain
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38
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Hellberg ME, Dennis AB, Arbour-Reily P, Aagaard JE, Swanson WJ. The Tegula tango: a coevolutionary dance of interacting, positively selected sperm and egg proteins. Evolution 2012; 66:1681-94. [PMID: 22671539 DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2011.01530.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Reproductive proteins commonly show signs of rapid divergence driven by positive selection. The mechanisms driving these changes have remained ambiguous in part because interacting male and female proteins have rarely been examined. We isolate an egg protein the vitelline envelope receptor for lysin (VERL) from Tegula, a genus of free-spawning marine snails. Like VERL from abalone, Tegula VERL is a major component of the VE surrounding the egg, includes a conserved zona pellucida (ZP) domain at its C-terminus, and possesses a unique, negatively charged domain of about 150 amino acids implicated in interactions with the positively charged lysin. Unlike for abalone VERL, where this unique VERL domain occurs in a tandem array of 22 repeats, Tegula VERL has just one such domain. Interspecific comparisons show that both lysin and the VERL domain diverge via positive selection, whereas the ZP domain evolves neutrally. Rates of nonsynonymous substitution are correlated between lysin and the VERL domain, consistent with sexual antagonism, although lineage-specific effects, perhaps owing to different ecologies, may alter the relative evolutionary rates of sperm- and egg-borne proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael E Hellberg
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, USA.
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39
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Abstract
A crucial step of fertilization is the sperm-egg interaction that allows the two gametes to fuse and create the zygote. In the mouse, CD9 on the egg and IZUMO1 on the sperm stand out as critical players, as Cd9(-/-) and Izumo1(-/-) mice are healthy but infertile or severely subfertile due to defective sperm-egg interaction. Moreover, work on several nonmammalian organisms has identified some of the most intriguing candidates implicated in sperm-egg interaction. Understanding of gamete membrane interactions is advancing through characterization of in vivo and in vitro fertilization phenotypes, including insights from less robust phenotypes that highlight potential supporting (albeit not absolutely essential) players. An emerging theme is that there are varied roles for gamete molecules that participate in sperm-egg interactions. Such roles include not only functioning as fusogens, or as adhesion molecules for the opposite gamete, but also functioning through interactions in cis with other proteins to regulate membrane order and functionality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janice P Evans
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA.
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40
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Vacquier VD, Swanson WJ. Selection in the rapid evolution of gamete recognition proteins in marine invertebrates. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 2011; 3:a002931. [PMID: 21730046 PMCID: PMC3220358 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a002931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Animal fertilization is governed by the interaction (binding) of proteins on the surfaces of sperm and egg. In many examples presented herein, fertilization proteins evolve rapidly and show the signature of positive selection (adaptive evolution). This review describes the molecular evolution of fertilization proteins in sea urchins, abalone, and oysters, animals with external fertilization that broadcast their gametes into seawater. Theories regarding the selective forces responsible for the rapid evolution driven by positive selection seen in many fertilization proteins are discussed. This strong selection acting on divergence of interacting fertilization proteins might lead to prezygotic reproductive isolation and be a significant factor in the speciation process. Since only a fraction of all eggs are fertilized and only an infinitesimal fraction of male gametes succeed in fertilizing an egg, gametes are obviously a category of entities subjected to intense selection. It is curious that this is never mentioned in the literature dealing with selection, perhaps because we know so little about fitness differences among gametes. (Ernst Mayr, 1997).
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor D Vacquier
- Marine Biology Research Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093-0202, USA.
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41
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Burnett LA, Anderson DM, Rawls A, Bieber AL, Chandler DE. Mouse sperm exhibit chemotaxis to allurin, a truncated member of the cysteine-rich secretory protein family. Dev Biol 2011; 360:318-28. [PMID: 22008793 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2011.09.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2011] [Revised: 09/23/2011] [Accepted: 09/26/2011] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Allurin, a 21 kDa protein isolated from egg jelly of the frog Xenopus laevis, has previously been demonstrated to attract frog sperm in two-chamber and microscopic assays. cDNA cloning and sequencing has shown that allurin is a truncated member of the Cysteine-Rich Secretory Protein (CRISP) family, whose members include mammalian sperm-binding proteins that have been postulated to play roles in spermatogenesis, sperm capacitation and sperm-egg binding in mammals. Here, we show that allurin is a chemoattractant for mouse sperm, as determined by a 2.5-fold stimulation of sperm passage across a porous membrane and by analysis of sperm trajectories within an allurin gradient as observed by time-lapse microscopy. Chemotaxis was accompanied by an overall change in trajectory from circular to linear thereby increasing sperm movement along the gradient axis. Allurin did not increase sperm velocity although it did produce a modest increase in flagellar beat frequency. Oregon Green 488-conjugated allurin was observed to bind to the sub-equatorial region of the mouse sperm head and to the midpiece of the flagellum. These findings demonstrate that sperm have retained the ability to bind and respond to truncated Crisp proteins over 300 million years of vertebrate evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsey A Burnett
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Graduate Program, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501, USA
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42
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Identification of reproduction-specific genes associated with maturation and estrogen exposure in a marine bivalve Mytilus edulis. PLoS One 2011; 6:e22326. [PMID: 21818309 PMCID: PMC3144882 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0022326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2011] [Accepted: 06/26/2011] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background While it is established that vertebrate-like steroids, particularly estrogens (estradiol, estrone) and androgens (testosterone), are present in various tissues of molluscs, it is still unclear what role these play in reproductive endocrinology in such organisms. This is despite the significant commercial shellfishery interest in several bivalve species and their decline. Methodology/Principal Findings Using suppression subtraction hybridisation of mussel gonad samples at two stages (early and mature) of gametogenesis and (in parallel) following controlled laboratory estrogen exposure, we isolate several differentially regulated genes including testis-specific kinases, vitelline lysin and envelope sequences. Conclusions The differentially expressed mRNAs isolated provide evidence that mussels may be impacted by exogenous estrogen exposure.
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43
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Monné M, Jovine L. A structural view of egg coat architecture and function in fertilization. Biol Reprod 2011; 85:661-9. [PMID: 21715714 DOI: 10.1095/biolreprod.111.092098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Species-restricted interaction between gametes at the beginning of fertilization is mediated by the extracellular coat of the egg, a matrix of cross-linked glycoprotein filaments called the zona pellucida (ZP) in mammals and the vitelline envelope in nonmammals. All egg coat subunits contain a conserved protein-protein interaction module-the "ZP domain"-that allows them to polymerize upon dissociation of a C-terminal propeptide containing an external hydrophobic patch (EHP). Recently, the first crystal structures of a ZP domain protein, sperm receptor ZP subunit zona pellucida glycoprotein 3 (ZP3), have been reported, giving a glimpse of the structural organization of the ZP at the atomic level and the molecular basis of gamete recognition in vertebrates. The ZP module is divided in two related immunoglobulin-like domains, ZP-N and ZP-C, that contain characteristic disulfide bond patterns and, in the case of ZP-C, also incorporate the EHP. This segment lies at the interface between the two domains, which are connected by a long loop carrying a conserved O-glycan important for binding to sperm in vitro. The structures explain several apparently contradictory observations by reconciling the variable disulfide bond patterns found in different homologues of ZP3 as well as the multiple ZP3 determinants alternatively involved in gamete interaction. These findings have implications for our understanding of ZP subunit biogenesis; egg coat assembly, architecture, and interaction with sperm; structural rearrangements leading to postfertilization hardening of the ZP and the block to sperm binding; and the evolutionary origin of egg coats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magnus Monné
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition and Center for Biosciences, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden
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44
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Lessios HA. Speciation Genes in Free-Spawning Marine Invertebrates. Integr Comp Biol 2011; 51:456-65. [DOI: 10.1093/icb/icr039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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45
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Xie X, Qiu WG, Lipke PN. Accelerated and adaptive evolution of yeast sexual adhesins. Mol Biol Evol 2011; 28:3127-37. [PMID: 21633112 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msr145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
There is a recent emergence of interest in the genes involved in gametic recognition as drivers of reproductive isolation. The recent population genomic sequencing of two species of sexually primitive yeasts (Liti G, Carter DM, Moses AM, Warringer J, Parts L, James SA, Davey RP, Roberts IN, Burt A, Koufopanou V et al. [23 co-authors]. 2009. Population genomics of domestic and wild yeasts. Nature 458:337-341.) has provided data for systematic study of the roles these genes play in the early evolution of sex and speciation. Here, we discovered that among genes encoding cell surface proteins, the sexual adhesin genes have evolved significantly more rapidly than others, both within and between Saccharomyces cerevisiae and its closest relative S. paradoxus. This result was supported by analyses using the PAML pairwise model, a modified McDonald-Kreitman test, and the PAML branch model. Moreover, using a combination of a new statistic of neutrality, an information theory-based measure of evolutionary variability, and functional characterization of amino acid changes, we found that a higher proportion of amino acid changes are fixed in the sexual adhesins than in other proteins and a greater proportion of the fixed amino acid changes either between the two species or the two subgroups of S. paradoxus are functionally dissimilar or radically different. These results suggest that the accelerated evolution of sexual adhesin genes may facilitate speciation, or incipient speciation, and promote sexual selection in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianfa Xie
- Department of Biology, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, NY, USA.
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Swanson WJ, Aagaard JE, Vacquier VD, Monné M, Sadat Al Hosseini H, Jovine L. The molecular basis of sex: linking yeast to human. Mol Biol Evol 2011; 28:1963-6. [PMID: 21282709 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msr026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Species-specific recognition between egg and sperm, a crucial event that marks the beginning of fertilization in multicellular organisms, mirrors the binding between haploid cells of opposite mating type in unicellular eukaryotes such as yeast. However, as implied by the lack of sequence similarity between sperm-binding regions of invertebrate and vertebrate egg coat proteins, these interactions are thought to rely on completely different molecular entities. Here, we argue that these recognition systems are, in fact, related: despite being separated by 0.6-1 billion years of evolution, functionally essential domains of a mollusc sperm receptor and a yeast mating protein adopt the same 3D fold as egg zona pellucida proteins mediating the binding between gametes in humans.
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Wallis LJ, Wallis GP. Extreme positive selection on a new highly-expressed larval glycoprotein (LGP) gene in Galaxias fishes (Osmeriformes: Galaxiidae). Mol Biol Evol 2010; 28:399-406. [PMID: 20696791 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msq208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
We describe the intron-exon structure and DNA/protein sequences of a new larval glycoprotein (LGP) gene from nine species of galaxiid fish. The gene has a distant similarity to Danio THP (Tamm-Horsfall urinary glycoprotein; uromodulin) and cichlid SPP120 (seminal plasma glycoprotein) due to conserved features of its zona pellucida (ZP) domain, including eight highly conserved cysteines and a consensus furin cleavage site. Using a combination of 454 sequencing of cDNA and exon-primed intron-spanning sequencing of genomic DNA, we obtained full sequences of the coding region (996 bp) and its intervening sequences (1,459 bp). LGP shows an exceptionally strong signal of positive selection over the entire coding region, as evidenced by d(N)/d(S) values >1. Across nine species of Galaxias, 87/332 (26%) amino acid residues are variable, compared with 9/386 (2%) for mitochondrial cytochrome b (cytb) in the same group of species. Across 36 interspecific pairwise comparisons, genetic distances are in all cases larger for coding region than for introns, by a factor of 2.4-fold on average. Reading frame, gene structure, splice sites, and many ZP motifs are conserved across all species. Together with the fact that the gene is expressed in all species, these results argue clearly against the possibility of a pseudogene. We show by 454 sequencing and quantitative polymerase chain reaction that the transcript is abundant (ca. 0.5%) in newly hatched larvae and appears to be almost absent from a range of adult tissues. We postulate that the strong Darwinian evolution exhibited by this protein may reflect some type of immunoprotection at this vulnerable larval stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lise J Wallis
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
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