1
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Montana L, Toni P, Festa-Bianchet M. Kangaroo fathers modulate maternal control of offspring sex but not post-partum maternal expenditure. Am Nat 2022; 200:790-801. [DOI: 10.1086/721437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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2
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Teves ME, Roldan ERS. Sperm bauplan and function and underlying processes of sperm formation and selection. Physiol Rev 2022; 102:7-60. [PMID: 33880962 PMCID: PMC8812575 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00009.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2020] [Revised: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The spermatozoon is a highly differentiated and polarized cell, with two main structures: the head, containing a haploid nucleus and the acrosomal exocytotic granule, and the flagellum, which generates energy and propels the cell; both structures are connected by the neck. The sperm's main aim is to participate in fertilization, thus activating development. Despite this common bauplan and function, there is an enormous diversity in structure and performance of sperm cells. For example, mammalian spermatozoa may exhibit several head patterns and overall sperm lengths ranging from ∼30 to 350 µm. Mechanisms of transport in the female tract, preparation for fertilization, and recognition of and interaction with the oocyte also show considerable variation. There has been much interest in understanding the origin of this diversity, both in evolutionary terms and in relation to mechanisms underlying sperm differentiation in the testis. Here, relationships between sperm bauplan and function are examined at two levels: first, by analyzing the selective forces that drive changes in sperm structure and physiology to understand the adaptive values of this variation and impact on male reproductive success and second, by examining cellular and molecular mechanisms of sperm formation in the testis that may explain how differentiation can give rise to such a wide array of sperm forms and functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Eugenia Teves
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia
| | - Eduardo R S Roldan
- Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
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3
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Naidu SJ, Arangasamy A, Selvaraju S, Binsila BK, Reddy IJ, Ravindra JP, Bhatta R. Maternal influence on the skewing of offspring sex ratio: a review. ANIMAL PRODUCTION SCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.1071/an21086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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4
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Bodden C, Pang TY, Feng Y, Mridha F, Kong G, Li S, Watt MJ, Reichelt AC, Hannan AJ. Intergenerational effects of a paternal Western diet during adolescence on offspring gut microbiota, stress reactivity, and social behavior. FASEB J 2021; 36:e21981. [PMID: 34907601 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202100920rr] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2021] [Revised: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The global consumption of highly processed, calorie-dense foods has contributed to an epidemic of overweight and obesity, along with negative consequences for metabolic dysfunction and disease susceptibility. As it becomes apparent that overweight and obesity have ripple effects through generations, understanding of the processes involved is required, in both maternal and paternal epigenetic inheritance. We focused on the patrilineal effects of a Western-style high-fat (21%) and high-sugar (34%) diet (WD) compared to control diet (CD) during adolescence and investigated F0 and F1 mice for physiological and behavioral changes. F0 males (fathers) showed increased body weight, impaired glycemic control, and decreased attractiveness to females. Paternal WD caused significant phenotypic changes in F1 offspring, including higher body weights of pups, increased Actinobacteria abundance in the gut microbiota (ascertained using 16S microbiome profiling), a food preference for WD pellets, increased male dominance and attractiveness to females, as well as decreased behavioral despair. These results collectively demonstrate the long-term intergenerational effects of a Western-style diet during paternal adolescence. The behavioral and physiological alterations in F1 offspring provide evidence of adaptive paternal programming via epigenetic inheritance. These findings have important implications for understanding paternally mediated intergenerational inheritance, and its relevance to offspring health and disease susceptibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carina Bodden
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Terence Y Pang
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Yingshi Feng
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Faria Mridha
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Geraldine Kong
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Shanshan Li
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Matthew J Watt
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Amy C Reichelt
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Medical Sciences, Adelaide Medical School, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Anthony J Hannan
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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5
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Hu C, Shi J, Chi Y, Yang J, Cui Q. Y/X-Chromosome-Bearing Sperm Shows Elevated Ratio in the Left but Not the Right Testes in Healthy Mice. Life (Basel) 2021; 11:life11111219. [PMID: 34833095 PMCID: PMC8621333 DOI: 10.3390/life11111219] [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: 10/01/2021] [Revised: 10/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The sex chromosomes play central roles in determining the sex of almost all of the multicellular organisms. It is well known that meiosis in mammalian spermatogenesis produces ~50% Y- and ~50% X-chromosome-bearing sperm, a 1:1 ratio. Here we first reveal that the X-chromosome-encoded miRNAs show lower expression levels in the left testis than in the right testis in healthy mice using bioinformatics modeling of miRNA-sequencing data, suggesting that the Y:X ratio could be unbalanced between the left testis and the right testis. We further reveal that the Y:X ratio is significantly elevated in the left testis but balanced in the right testis using flow cytometry. This study represents the first time the biased Y:X ratio in the left testis but not in the right testis is revealed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengqing Hu
- Center for Noncoding RNA Medicine, Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Department of Biomedical Informatics, MOE Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Sciences, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Rd, Beijing 100191, China; (C.H.); (J.S.)
| | - Jiangcheng Shi
- Center for Noncoding RNA Medicine, Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Department of Biomedical Informatics, MOE Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Sciences, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Rd, Beijing 100191, China; (C.H.); (J.S.)
| | - Yujing Chi
- Department of Central Laboratory & Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing 100044, China;
| | - Jichun Yang
- Center for Noncoding RNA Medicine, Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Department of Biomedical Informatics, MOE Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Sciences, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Rd, Beijing 100191, China; (C.H.); (J.S.)
- Correspondence: (J.Y.); (Q.C.); Tel.: +86-010-82801403 (J.Y.); +86-010-82801001 (Q.C.)
| | - Qinghua Cui
- Center for Noncoding RNA Medicine, Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Department of Biomedical Informatics, MOE Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Sciences, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Rd, Beijing 100191, China; (C.H.); (J.S.)
- Correspondence: (J.Y.); (Q.C.); Tel.: +86-010-82801403 (J.Y.); +86-010-82801001 (Q.C.)
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6
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Halder A, Chaudhary I, Jain M, Pandey S. Sex ratio trajectory in mouse. Reprod Biol 2021; 21:100514. [PMID: 34049115 DOI: 10.1016/j.repbio.2021.100514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Revised: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/16/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Skewing of the sex ratio towards males occurs in humans. The possible explanation for excess male births could be a preference for Y-bearing sperm at fertilization and/or selective elimination of female embryos during pregnancy. In this study, we have tested the sex ratio in the preimplantation embryo (2-3 cells stage/closest possible primary sex ratio), the post-implantation embryo (day E7.5), and at birth (secondary sex ratio) on a homogenous (genetic, environmental, and dietary) population of mice to ascertain the biological reason i.e., male preference at fertilization or female elimination during pregnancy or both. Primary sex ratio on early preimplantation embryos (2-3 cells stage) was studied on 598 embryos and secondary sex ratio (at birth) on 721 pups using PCR-based sexing (both X & Y chromosome-specific) besides sex ratio of 80 post-implantation embryos (day E7.5). We have also investigated whether the fat content (high & low) of the diet affects the sex ratio. We observed a skewed sex ratio (more female) in preimplantation embryos (0.436; 95 % CI 0.39, 0.48), and post-implantation embryos (0.462; 95 % CI 0.35, 0.57) but reverse skewing (more male) at birth (0.539; 95 % CI 0.5, 0.58). We also observed that high-fat diet promoted male sex ratio at birth (0.657; 95 % CI 0.57, 0.74) whereas a low-fat diet had the opposite effect (0.46; 95 % CI 0.36, 0.56) but no effect at fertilization (2-3 cells stage embryos). This indicates selective elimination of female embryo and fetus throughout pregnancy in mice, more so with a high-fat diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashutosh Halder
- Department of Reproductive Biology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi 110029, India.
| | - Isha Chaudhary
- Department of Reproductive Biology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi 110029, India.
| | - Manish Jain
- Department of Reproductive Biology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi 110029, India.
| | - Shivam Pandey
- Department of Biostatistics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi 110029, India.
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7
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Douhard M, Geffroy B. Males can adjust offspring sex ratio in an adaptive fashion through different mechanisms. Bioessays 2021; 43:e2000264. [PMID: 33594712 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202000264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Revised: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Sex allocation research has primarily focused on offspring sex-ratio adjustment by mothers. Yet, fathers also benefit from producing more of the sex with greater fitness returns. Here, we review the state-of-the art in the study of male-driven sex allocation and, counter to the current paradigm, we propose that males can adaptively influence offspring sex ratio through a wide variety of mechanisms. This includes differential production and motility of X- versus Y-bearing sperms in mammals, variation in seminal fluid composition in haplo-diploid invertebrates, and epigenetic mechanisms in some fish and lizards exhibiting environmental sex determination. Conflicts of interest between mothers and fathers over offspring sex ratios can emerge, although many more studies are needed in this area. While many studies of sex allocation have focused on adaptive explanations with little attention to mechanisms, and vice versa, the integration of these two topics is essential for understanding male-driven sex allocation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Douhard
- Laboratoire de Biométrie & Biologie Evolutive, Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Benjamin Geffroy
- MARBEC, Univ Montpellier, Ifremer, CNRS, IRD, Palavas-Les-Flots, France
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8
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Firman RC, Tedeschi JN, Garcia-Gonzalez F. Sperm sex ratio adjustment in a mammal: perceived male competition leads to elevated proportions of female-producing sperm. Biol Lett 2020; 16:20190929. [PMID: 32486939 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2019.0929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Mammal sex allocation research has focused almost exclusively on maternal traits, but it is now apparent that fathers can also influence offspring sex ratios. Parents that produce female offspring under conditions of intense male-male competition can benefit with greater assurance of maximized grand-parentage. Adaptive adjustment in the sperm sex ratio, for example with an increase in the production of X-chromosome bearing sperm (CBS), is one potential paternal mechanism for achieving female-biased sex ratios. Here, we tested this mechanistic hypothesis by varying the risk of male-male competition that male house mice perceived during development, and quantifying sperm sex ratios at sexual maturity. Our analyses revealed that males exposed to a competitive 'risk' produced lower proportions of Y-CBS compared to males that matured under 'no risk' of competition. We also explored whether testosterone production was linked to sperm sex ratio variation, but found no evidence to support this. We discuss our findings in relation to the adaptive value of sperm sex ratio adjustments and the role of steroid hormones in socially induced sex allocation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renée C Firman
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences (M092), The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Jamie N Tedeschi
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences (M092), The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Francisco Garcia-Gonzalez
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences (M092), The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia.,Estacion Biológica de Doñana, CSIC, Sevilla, Spain
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9
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Todd ET, Hamilton NA, Velie BD, Thomson PC. The effects of inbreeding on covering success, gestation length and foal sex ratio in Australian thoroughbred horses. BMC Genet 2020; 21:41. [PMID: 32268877 PMCID: PMC7140579 DOI: 10.1186/s12863-020-00847-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2019] [Accepted: 03/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Horses produce only one foal from an eleven-month gestation period, making the maintenance of high reproductive rates essential. Genetic bottlenecks and inbreeding can increase the frequency of deleterious variants, resulting in reduced reproductive levels in a population. In this study we examined the influence of inbreeding levels on foaling rate, gestation length and secondary sex ratio in Australian Thoroughbred mares. We also investigated the genetic change in these traits throughout the history of the breed. Phenotypic data were obtained from 27,262 breeding records of Thoroughbred mares provided by three Australian stud farms. Inbreeding was estimated using the pedigree of each individual dating back to the foundation of the breed in the eighteenth century. Results While both gestation length and foaling rate were heritable, no measurable effect of inbreeding on either trait was found. However, we did find that the genetic value for both traits had decreased within recent generations. A number of environmental factors also had significant effects on foaling rate and gestation length. Secondary sex ratio had only an extremely small paternal heritable effect and was not susceptible to environmental influences. Conclusions In contrast to racing performance, inbreeding had no measurable effect on foaling rate or gestation length in Australian Thoroughbred horses. This could be because the level of inbreeding in the population examined is not high enough to show a discernible effect on reproductive traits. Populations that experience higher levels of inbreeding due to use of artificial reproductive technologies or extremely small population sizes may show a more pronounced reduction in natural foaling rate or gestation length. It is also possible that the intensive management techniques used in the Thoroughbred population masks any negative effects of inbreeding. The decrease in the genetic value of foaling rate is likely to be because horses with unfavourable genetic potential have not yet been selected out of the population. The change in genetic value of gestation length may be due to selective breeding favouring horses with shorter pregnancies. We also found that prioritising the mating of older mares, and avoiding out of season mating could lead to an increased breeding success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evelyn T Todd
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia.
| | - Natasha A Hamilton
- Racing Australia Equine Genetics Research Centre, Racing Australia, Sydney, NSW, 2000, Australia
| | - Brandon D Velie
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Peter C Thomson
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
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10
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Supramaniam PR, Mittal M, Ohuma EO, Lim LN, McVeigh E, Granne I, Becker CM. Secondary sex ratio in assisted reproduction: an analysis of 1 376 454 treatment cycles performed in the UK. Hum Reprod Open 2019; 2019:hoz020. [PMID: 31598568 PMCID: PMC6778287 DOI: 10.1093/hropen/hoz020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2019] [Revised: 06/29/2019] [Accepted: 07/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
STUDY QUESTION Does ART impact the secondary sex ratio (SSR) when compared to natural conception? SUMMARY ANSWER IVF and ICSI as well as the stage of embryo transfer does impact the overall SSR. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY The World Health Organization quotes SSR for natural conception to range between 103 and 110 males per 100 female births. STUDY DESIGN SIZE DURATION A total of 1 376 454 ART cycles were identified, of which 1 002 698 (72.8%) cycles involved IVF or ICSI. Of these, 863 859 (85.2%) were fresh cycles and 124 654 (12.4%) were frozen cycles. Missing data were identified in 14 185 (1.4%) cycles. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS SETTING METHODS All cycles recorded in the anonymized UK Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) registry database between 1991 and 2016 were analysed. All singleton live births were included, and multiple births were excluded to avoid duplication. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE The overall live birth rate per cycle for all IVF and ICSI treatments was 26.2% (n = 262 961), and the singleton live birth rate per cycle was 17.1% (n = 171 399). The overall SSR for this study was 104.0 males per 100 female births (binomial exact 95% CI: 103.1-105.0) for all IVF and ICSI cycles performed in the UK recorded through the HFEA. This was comparable to the overall SSR for England and Wales at 105.3 males per 100 female births (95% CI: 105.2-105.4) from 1991 to 2016 obtained from the Office of National Statistics database. Male predominance was seen with conventional insemination in fresh IVF treatment cycles (SSR 110.0 males per 100 female births; 95% CI: 108.6-111.5) when compared to micro-injection in fresh ICSI treatment cycles (SSR 97.8 males per 100 female births; 95% CI: 96.5-99.2; odds ratio (OR) 1.16, 95% CI 1.12-1.19, P < 0.0001), as well as with blastocyst stage embryo transfers (SSR 104.8 males per 100 female births; 95% CI: 103.5-106.2) when compared to a cleavage stage embryo transfer (SSR 101.2 males per 100 female births; 95% CI: 99.3-103.1; OR 1.03, 95% CI 1.01-1.06, P = 0.011) for all fertilization methods. LIMITATIONS REASONS FOR CAUTION The quality of the data relies on the reporting system. Furthermore, success rates through ART have improved since 1991, with an increased number of blastocyst stage embryo transfers. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS This is the largest study to date evaluating the impact of ART on SSR. The results demonstrate that, overall, ART does have an impact on the SSR when assessed according to the method of fertilization (ICSI increased female births while IVF increased males). However, given the ratio of IVF to ICSI cycles at present with 60% of cycles from IVF and 40% from ICSI, the overall SSR for ART closely reflects the population SSR for, largely, natural conceptions in England and Wales. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTERESTS The study received no funding. C.M.B. is a member of the independent data monitoring group for a clinical endometriosis trial by ObsEva. He is on the scientific advisory board for Myovant and medical advisory board for Flo Health. He has received research grants from Bayer AG, MDNA Life Sciences, Volition Rx and Roche Diagnostics as well as from Wellbeing of Women, Medical Research Council UK, the NIH, the UK National Institute for Health Research and the European Union. He is the current Chair of the Endometriosis Guideline Development Group for ESHRE and was a co-opted member of the Endometriosis Guideline Group by the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). I.G. has received research grants from Wellbeing of Women, the European Union and Finox. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER Not applicable.
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Affiliation(s)
- P R Supramaniam
- Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | - M Mittal
- Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, St Mary's and Hammersmith Hospitals, London, UK
| | - E O Ohuma
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK.,Centre for Global Child Health & Child Health Evaluative Sciences, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 2L3, Canada
| | - L N Lim
- Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | - E McVeigh
- Oxford Endometriosis CaRe Centre, Nuffield Department of Women's and Reproductive Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - I Granne
- Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK.,Oxford Endometriosis CaRe Centre, Nuffield Department of Women's and Reproductive Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - C M Becker
- Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK.,Oxford Endometriosis CaRe Centre, Nuffield Department of Women's and Reproductive Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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11
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The global male-bias in sex ratio at birth is sustained by the sex ratio genotypes of replacement offspring. Genetica 2019; 147:249-258. [DOI: 10.1007/s10709-019-00074-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2018] [Accepted: 07/18/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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12
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Lavoie MD, Tedeschi JN, Garcia‐Gonzalez F, Firman RC. Exposure to male-dominated environments during development influences sperm sex ratios at sexual maturity. Evol Lett 2019; 3:392-402. [PMID: 31388448 PMCID: PMC6675145 DOI: 10.1002/evl3.123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2019] [Revised: 04/15/2019] [Accepted: 05/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Different stages during development are important when it comes to phenotypic adjustments in response to external stimuli. Critical stages in mammals are the prenatal phase, where embryos are exposed to a milieu of sex steroid hormones, and the early-postnatal phase, where littermates interact and experience their incipient social environment. Further, the postmaternal environment will influence the development of traits that are linked to reproductive success in adulthood. Accumulated evidence of male-driven sex allocation establishes the currently untested hypothesis that the sperm sex ratio is a plastic trait that can be mediated to align with prevailing social conditions. Here, we used natural variation in the maternal environment and experimentally manipulated the postmaternal environment to identify the importance of these developmental phases on sperm sex ratio adjustments in wild house mice (Mus musculus domesticus). We found that male density in both environments was predictive of sperm sex ratios at sexual maturity: males from more male-biased litters and males maturing under high male density produced elevated levels of Y-chromosome-bearing sperm. Our findings indicate that the sperm sex ratio is a variable phenotypic trait that responds to the external environment, and highlight the potential that these adjustments function as a mechanism of male-driven sex allocation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Misha D. Lavoie
- School of Biological Sciences (M092), Centre for Evolutionary BiologyThe University of Western AustraliaCrawleyWA6009Australia
| | - Jamie N. Tedeschi
- School of Biological Sciences (M092), Centre for Evolutionary BiologyThe University of Western AustraliaCrawleyWA6009Australia
| | - Francisco Garcia‐Gonzalez
- School of Biological Sciences (M092), Centre for Evolutionary BiologyThe University of Western AustraliaCrawleyWA6009Australia
- Estacion Biológica de DoñanaCSICSevillaSpain
| | - Renée C. Firman
- School of Biological Sciences (M092), Centre for Evolutionary BiologyThe University of Western AustraliaCrawleyWA6009Australia
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13
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Vanthournout B, Busck MM, Bechsgaard J, Hendrickx F, Schramm A, Bilde T. Male spiders control offspring sex ratio through greater production of female-determining sperm. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 285:rspb.2017.2887. [PMID: 29563266 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.2887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2017] [Accepted: 02/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Sex allocation theory predicts that when sons and daughters have different reproductive values, parents should adjust offspring sex ratio towards the sex with the higher fitness return. Haplo-diploid species directly control offspring sex ratio, but species with chromosomal sex determination (CSD) were presumed to be constrained by Mendelian segregation. There is now increasing evidence that CSD species can adjust sex ratio strategically, but the underlying mechanism is not well understood. One hypothesis states that adaptive control is more likely to evolve in the heterogametic sex through a bias in gamete production. We investigated this hypothesis in males as the heterogametic sex in two social spider species that consistently show adaptive female-biased sex ratio and in one subsocial species that is characterized by equal sex ratio. We quantified the production of male (0) and female (X) determining sperm cells using flow cytometry, and show that males of social species produce significantly more X-carrying sperm than 0-sperm, on average 70%. This is consistent with the production of more daughters. Males of the subsocial species produced a significantly lower bias of 54% X-carrying sperm. We also investigated whether inter-genomic conflict between hosts and their endosymbionts may explain female bias. Next generation sequencing showed that five common genera of bacterial endosymbionts known to affect sex ratio are largely absent, ruling out that endosymbiont bacteria bias sex ratio in social spiders. Our study provides evidence for paternal control over sex allocation through biased gamete production as a mechanism by which the heterogametic sex in CSD species adaptively adjust offspring sex ratio.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bram Vanthournout
- Department of Bioscience, Section for Genetics, Ecology and Evolution, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, Building 1540, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.,Biology Department, Evolution and Optics of Nanostructures Group, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - Mette Marie Busck
- Department of Bioscience, Section for Microbiology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, Building 1540, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Jesper Bechsgaard
- Department of Bioscience, Section for Genetics, Ecology and Evolution, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, Building 1540, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Frederik Hendrickx
- Biology Department, Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000 Gent, Belgium.,Entomology Department, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Vautierstraat 29, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Andreas Schramm
- Department of Bioscience, Section for Microbiology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, Building 1540, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Trine Bilde
- Department of Bioscience, Section for Genetics, Ecology and Evolution, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, Building 1540, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
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Malo AF, Gilbert TC, Riordan P. Drivers of sex ratio bias in the eastern bongo: lower inbreeding increases the probability of being born male. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20190345. [PMID: 31064305 PMCID: PMC6532524 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.0345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2019] [Accepted: 04/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Parent sex ratio allocation has consequences for individual fitness, population dynamics, and conservation. Theory predicts that parents should adjust offspring sex ratio when the fitness returns of producing male or female offspring varies. Previous studies have assumed that only mothers are capable of biasing offspring sex ratios, but have neglected fathers, given the expectation of an equal proportion of X- and Y-chromosome-bearing (CBS) sperm in ejaculates due to sex chromosome segregation at meiosis. This assumption has been recently refuted and both paternal fertility and paternal genetic quality have been shown to bias sex ratios. Here, we simultaneously test the relative contribution of paternal, maternal, and individual genetic quality, as measured by inbreeding, on the probability of being born a son or a daughter, using pedigree and lifelong offspring sex ratio data for the eastern bongo ( Tragelaphus eurycerus isaaci). Our models showed first, that surprisingly, as individual inbreeding decreases the probability of being born male increases, second, that paternal genetic effects on sex ratio were stronger than maternal genetic effects (which were absent). Furthermore, paternal effects were opposite in sign to those predicted; father inbreeding increases the probability of having sons. Previous paternal effects have been interpreted as adaptive due to sex-specific inbreeding depression for reproductive traits. We argue that in the eastern bongo, the opposite sign of the paternal effect on sex ratios results from a reversed sex-specific inbreeding depression pattern (present for female but not male reproductive traits). We anticipate that this research will help stimulate research on evolutionary constraints to sex ratios. Finally, the results open a new avenue of research to predict sex ratio allocation in an applied conservation context. Future models of sex ratio allocation should also include the predicted inbreeding level of the offspring and paternal inbreeding levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurelio F. Malo
- GLOCEE - Global Change Ecology and Evolution Group, Department of Life Sciences, Universidad de Alcalá, 28871, Spain
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Tania C. Gilbert
- Marwell Wildlife, Thompsons Lane, Winchester, Hampshire SO21 1JH, UK
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Philip Riordan
- Marwell Wildlife, Thompsons Lane, Winchester, Hampshire SO21 1JH, UK
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
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15
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Edwards AM, Cameron EZ, Deakin JE, Ezaz T, Pereira JC, Ferguson‐Smith MA, Robert KA. Sexual conflict in action: An antagonistic relationship between maternal and paternal sex allocation in the tammar wallaby, Notamacropus eugenii. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:4340-4348. [PMID: 31031909 PMCID: PMC6476839 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2018] [Accepted: 11/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Sex ratio biases are often inconsistent, both among and within species and populations. While some of these inconsistencies may be due to experimental design, much of the variation remains inexplicable. Recent research suggests that an exclusive focus on mothers may account for some of the inconsistency, with an increasing number of studies showing variation in sperm sex ratios and seminal fluids. Using fluorescent in-situ hybridization, we show a significant population-level Y-chromosome bias in the spermatozoa of wild tammar wallabies, but with significant intraindividual variation between males. We also show a population-level birth sex ratio trend in the same direction toward male offspring, but a weaning sex ratio that is significantly female-biased, indicating that males are disproportionately lost during lactation. We hypothesize that sexual conflict between parents may cause mothers to adjust offspring sex ratios after birth, through abandonment of male pouch young and reactivation of diapaused embryos. Further research is required in a captive, controlled setting to understand what is driving and mechanistically controlling sperm sex ratio and offspring sex ratio biases and to understand the sexually antagonistic relationship between mothers and fathers over offspring sex. These results extend beyond sex allocation, as they question studies of population processes that assume equal input of sex chromosomes from fathers, and will also assist with future reproduction studies for management and conservation of marsupials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy M. Edwards
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, School of Life SciencesLa Trobe UniversityMelbourneVictoriaAustralia
| | - Elissa Z. Cameron
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of CanterburyChristchurchNew Zealand
| | - Janine E. Deakin
- Institute for Applied EcologyUniversity of CanberraCanberraAustralian Capital TerritoryAustralia
| | - Tariq Ezaz
- Institute for Applied EcologyUniversity of CanberraCanberraAustralian Capital TerritoryAustralia
| | - Jorge C. Pereira
- Department of Veterinary MedicineUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
- Cytocell Ltd.CambridgeUK
| | | | - Kylie A. Robert
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, School of Life SciencesLa Trobe UniversityMelbourneVictoriaAustralia
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Merkling T, Hatch SA, Leclaire S, Danchin E, Blanchard P. Offspring sex-ratio and environmental conditions in a seabird with sex-specific rearing costs: a long-term experimental approach. Evol Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-019-09983-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
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17
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Wishart AE, Williams CT, McAdam AG, Boutin S, Dantzer B, Humphries MM, Coltman DW, Lane JE. Is biasing offspring sex ratio adaptive? A test of Fisher's principle across multiple generations of a wild mammal in a fluctuating environment. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:rspb.2018.1251. [PMID: 30464061 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.1251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2018] [Accepted: 10/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Fisher's principle explains that population sex ratio in sexually reproducing organisms is maintained at 1 : 1 owing to negative frequency-dependent selection, such that individuals of the rare sex realize greater reproductive opportunity than individuals of the more common sex until equilibrium is reached. If biasing offspring sex ratio towards the rare sex is adaptive, individuals that do so should have more grandoffspring. In a wild population of North American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) that experiences fluctuations in resource abundance and population density, we show that overall across 26 years, the secondary sex ratio was 1 : 1; however, stretches of years during which adult sex ratio was biased did not yield offspring sex ratios biased towards the rare sex. Females that had litters biased towards the rare sex did not have more grandoffspring. Critically, the adult sex ratio was not temporally autocorrelated across years, thus the population sex ratio experienced by parents was independent of the population sex ratio experienced by their offspring at their primiparity. Expected fitness benefits of biasing offspring sex ratio may be masked or negated by fluctuating environments across years, which limit the predictive value of the current sex ratio.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea E Wishart
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada S7N 5E2
| | - Cory T Williams
- Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA
| | - Andrew G McAdam
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1
| | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E9
| | - Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1043, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1043, USA
| | - Murray M Humphries
- Natural Resource Sciences, MacDonald Campus, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec, Canada H9X 3V9
| | - David W Coltman
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1
| | - Jeffrey E Lane
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada S7N 5E2
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18
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Lacy RC, Malo AF, Alaks G. Maintenance of genetic variation in quantitative traits of a woodland rodent during generations of captive breeding. CONSERV GENET 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10592-018-1054-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Malo AF, Martinez-Pastor F, Garcia-Gonzalez F, Garde J, Ballou JD, Lacy RC. A father effect explains sex-ratio bias. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2017.1159. [PMID: 28855362 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.1159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2017] [Accepted: 07/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Sex ratio allocation has important fitness consequences, and theory predicts that parents should adjust offspring sex ratio in cases where the fitness returns of producing male and female offspring vary. The ability of fathers to bias offspring sex ratios has traditionally been dismissed given the expectation of an equal proportion of X- and Y-chromosome-bearing sperm (CBS) in ejaculates due to segregation of sex chromosomes at meiosis. This expectation has been recently refuted. Here we used Peromyscus leucopus to demonstrate that sex ratio is explained by an exclusive effect of the father, and suggest a likely mechanism by which male-driven sex-ratio bias is attained. We identified a male sperm morphological marker that is associated with the mechanism leading to sex ratio bias; differences among males in the sperm nucleus area (a proxy for the sex chromosome that the sperm contains) explain 22% variation in litter sex ratio. We further show the role played by the sperm nucleus area as a mediator in the relationship between individual genetic variation and sex-ratio bias. Fathers with high levels of genetic variation had ejaculates with a higher proportion of sperm with small nuclei area. This, in turn, led to siring a higher proportion of sons (25% increase in sons per 0.1 decrease in the inbreeding coefficient). Our results reveal a plausible mechanism underlying unexplored male-driven sex-ratio biases. We also discuss why this pattern of paternal bias can be adaptive. This research puts to rest the idea that father contribution to sex ratio variation should be disregarded in vertebrates, and will stimulate research on evolutionary constraints to sex ratios-for example, whether fathers and mothers have divergent, coinciding, or neutral sex allocation interests. Finally, these results offer a potential explanation for those intriguing cases in which there are sex ratio biases, such as in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurelio F Malo
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK .,Chicago Zoological Society, Brookfield, IL, USA.,Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Felipe Martinez-Pastor
- SaBio IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Campus Universitario s. n. 02071, Albacete, Spain.,INDEGSAL and Molecular Biology (Cell Biology), University of León, León, Spain
| | - Francisco Garcia-Gonzalez
- Estacion Biológica de Doñana, CSIC, Sevilla, Spain.,Centre for Evolutionary Biology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Julián Garde
- SaBio IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Campus Universitario s. n. 02071, Albacete, Spain
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Douhard
- Département de Biologie; Université de Sherbrooke; 2500 boulevard de l’ Université Sherbrooke QC J1K 2R1 Canada
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