1
|
Papachristos K, Sayadi A, Arnqvist G. Comparative Genomic Analysis of the Pattern of Evolution of Male and Female Reproductive Proteins in Seed Beetles. Genome Biol Evol 2024; 16:evae143. [PMID: 38941482 PMCID: PMC11251426 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evae143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Revised: 06/10/2024] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 06/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Male seminal fluid proteins often show signs of positive selection and divergent evolution, believed to reflect male-female coevolution. Yet, our understanding of the predicted concerted evolution of seminal fluid proteins and female reproductive proteins is limited. We sequenced, assembled, and annotated the genome of two species of seed beetles allowing a comparative analysis of four closely related species of these herbivorous insects. We compare the general pattern of evolution in genes encoding seminal fluid proteins and female reproductive proteins with those in digestive protein genes and well-conserved reference genes. We found that female reproductive proteins showed an overall ratio of nonsynonymous to synonymous substitutions (ω) similar to that of conserved genes, while seminal fluid proteins and digestive proteins exhibited higher overall ω values. Further, seminal fluid proteins and digestive proteins showed a higher proportion of sites putatively under positive selection, and explicit tests showed no difference in relaxed selection between protein types. Evolutionary rate covariation analyses showed that evolutionary rates among seminal fluid proteins were on average more closely correlated with those in female reproductive proteins than with either digestive or conserved genes. Gene expression showed the expected negative covariation with ω values, except for male-biased genes where this negative relationship was reversed. In conclusion, seminal fluid proteins showed relatively rapid evolution and signs of positive selection. In contrast, female reproductive proteins evolved at a lower rate under selective constraints, on par with genes known to be well conserved. Although our findings provide support for concerted evolution of seminal fluid proteins and female reproductive proteins, they also suggest that these two classes of proteins evolve under partly distinct selective regimes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Ahmed Sayadi
- Rheumatology, Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Göran Arnqvist
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Berger D, Liljestrand-Rönn J. Environmental complexity mitigates the demographic impact of sexual selection. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14355. [PMID: 38225825 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2024]
Abstract
Sexual selection and the evolution of costly mating strategies can negatively impact population viability and adaptive potential. While laboratory studies have documented outcomes stemming from these processes, recent observations suggest that the demographic impact of sexual selection is contingent on the environment and therefore may have been overestimated in simple laboratory settings. Here we find support for this claim. We exposed copies of beetle populations, previously evolved with or without sexual selection, to a 10-generation heatwave while maintaining half of them in a simple environment and the other half in a complex environment. Populations with an evolutionary history of sexual selection maintained larger sizes and more stable growth rates in complex (relative to simple) environments, an effect not seen in populations evolved without sexual selection. These results have implications for evolutionary forecasting and suggest that the negative demographic impact of sexually selected mating strategies might be low in natural populations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David Berger
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Fricke C, Sanghvi K, Emery M, Lindenbaum I, Wigby S, Ramm SA, Sepil I. Timeless or tainted? The effects of male ageing on seminal fluid. Front Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2023.1066022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Reproductive ageing can occur due to the deterioration of both the soma and germline. In males, it has mostly been studied with respect to age-related changes in sperm. However, the somatic component of the ejaculate, seminal fluid, is also essential for maintaining reproductive function. Whilst we know that seminal fluid proteins (SFPs) are required for male reproductive success across diverse taxa, age-related changes in SFP quantity and composition are little understood. Additionally, only few studies have explored the reproductive ageing of the tissues that produce SFPs, and the resulting reproductive outcomes. Here we provide a systematic review of studies addressing how advancing male age affects the production and properties of seminal fluid, in particular SFPs and oxidative stress, highlighting many open questions and generating new hypotheses for further research. We additionally discuss how declines in function of different components of seminal fluid, such as SFPs and antioxidants, could contribute to age-related loss of reproductive ability. Overall, we find evidence that ageing results in increased oxidative stress in seminal fluid and a decrease in the abundance of various SFPs. These results suggest that seminal fluid contributes towards important age-related changes influencing male reproduction. Thus, it is essential to study this mostly ignored component of the ejaculate to understand male reproductive ageing, and its consequences for sexual selection and paternal age effects on offspring.
Collapse
|
4
|
Walter M, Puniamoorthy N. Discovering novel reproductive genes in a non-model fly using de novo GridION transcriptomics. Front Genet 2022; 13:1003771. [PMID: 36568389 PMCID: PMC9768217 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.1003771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Gene discovery has important implications for investigating phenotypic trait evolution, adaptation, and speciation. Male reproductive tissues, such as accessory glands (AGs), are hotspots for recruitment of novel genes that diverge rapidly even among closely related species/populations. These genes synthesize seminal fluid proteins that often affect post-copulatory sexual selection-they can mediate male-male sperm competition, ejaculate-female interactions that modify female remating and even influence reproductive incompatibilities among diverging species/populations. Although de novo transcriptomics has facilitated gene discovery in non-model organisms, reproductive gene discovery is still challenging without a reference database as they are often novel and bear no homology to known proteins. Here, we use reference-free GridION long-read transcriptomics, from Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT), to discover novel AG genes and characterize their expression in the widespread dung fly, Sepsis punctum. Despite stark population differences in male reproductive traits (e.g.: Body size, testes size, and sperm length) as well as female re-mating, the male AG genes and their secretions of S. punctum are still unknown. We implement a de novo ONT transcriptome pipeline incorporating quality-filtering and rigorous error-correction procedures, and we evaluate gene sequence and gene expression results against high-quality Illumina short-read data. We discover highly-expressed reproductive genes in AG transcriptomes of S. punctum consisting of 40 high-quality and high-confidence ONT genes that cross-verify against Illumina genes, among which 26 are novel and specific to S. punctum. Novel genes account for an average of 81% of total gene expression and may be functionally relevant in seminal fluid protein production. For instance, 80% of genes encoding secretory proteins account for 74% total gene expression. In addition, median sequence similarities of ONT nucleotide and protein sequences match within-Illumina sequence similarities. Read-count based expression quantification in ONT is congruent with Illumina's Transcript per Million (TPM), both in overall pattern and within functional categories. Rapid genomic innovation followed by recruitment of de novo genes for high expression in S. punctum AG tissue, a pattern observed in other insects, could be a likely mechanism of evolution of these genes. The study also demonstrates the feasibility of adapting ONT transcriptomics for gene discovery in non-model systems.
Collapse
|
5
|
Arnqvist G, Sayadi A. A possible genomic footprint of polygenic adaptation on population divergence in seed beetles? Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9440. [PMID: 36311399 PMCID: PMC9608792 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9440] [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: 01/25/2022] [Revised: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Efforts to unravel the genomic basis of incipient speciation are hampered by a mismatch between our toolkit and our understanding of the ecology and genetics of adaptation. While the former is focused on detecting selective sweeps involving few independently acting or linked speciation genes, the latter states that divergence typically occurs in polygenic traits under stabilizing selection. Here, we ask whether a role of stabilizing selection on polygenic traits in population divergence may be unveiled by using a phenotypically informed integrative approach, based on genome‐wide variation segregating in divergent populations. We compare three divergent populations of seed beetles (Callosobruchus maculatus) where previous work has demonstrated a prominent role for stabilizing selection on, and population divergence in, key life history traits that reflect rate‐dependent metabolic processes. We derive and assess predictions regarding the expected pattern of covariation between genetic variation segregating within populations and genetic differentiation between populations. Population differentiation was considerable (mean FST = 0.23–0.26) and was primarily built by genes showing high selective constraints and an imbalance in inferred selection in different populations (positive Tajima's DNS in one and negative in one), and this set of genes was enriched with genes with a metabolic function. Repeatability of relative population differentiation was low at the level of individual genes but higher at the level of broad functional classes, again spotlighting metabolic genes. Absolute differentiation (dXY) showed a very different general pattern at this scale of divergence, more consistent with an important role for genetic drift. Although our exploration is consistent with stabilizing selection on polygenic metabolic phenotypes as an important engine of genome‐wide relative population divergence and incipient speciation in our study system, we note that it is exceedingly difficult to firmly exclude other scenarios.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Göran Arnqvist
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, EBCUppsala UniversityUppsalaSweden
| | - Ahmed Sayadi
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, EBCUppsala UniversityUppsalaSweden,Rheumatology, Department of Medical SciencesUppsala UniversityUppsalaSweden
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Effects of Larval Diet on the Male Reproductive Traits in the West Indian Sweet Potato Weevils Euscepes postfasciatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). INSECTS 2022; 13:insects13040389. [PMID: 35447831 PMCID: PMC9031274 DOI: 10.3390/insects13040389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Simple Summary In insects, it is known that the diet during the larval stage affects traits in the adult stage. However, it is still unclear how it affects reproductive traits such as ejaculation. The ejaculate contains many proteins and therefore requires much nutrition, so the larval diet strongly influences it. Males of the West Indian sweet potato weevil Euscepes postfasciatus use accessory gland substances to inhibit remating by females. Crossing experiments were conducted using lines reared on artificial diets or sweet potato tubers during the larval stage, and the refractory period was examined. The results showed that the larval stage diet had a significant effect on the refractory period of females. We also found one protein of approximately 15 kDa in size expressed only in the treatments reared on sweet potatoes. To our knowledge, this is the first study to show that larval diet qualitatively influences male ejaculate and female refractory period. Abstract Larval diet significantly affects adult traits, although less is known about how they affect reproductive traits. Males of West Indian sweet potato weevil Euscepes postfasciatus deliver a remating inhibitor along with sperm to their mates during mating, leading to a refractory period (the period before females mate again). Crossing experiments were conducted using lines reared on artificial diets, including sweet potato powder (AD) or sweet potato tubers (SP) during the larval stage, and the refractory period was examined. We also examined whether the larval diet qualitatively or quantitatively altered male ejaculate. The results showed that the refractory period was significantly longer in the SP treatment than in the AD treatment for males and females. There was no significant difference in ejaculate volume. However, the number of sperm in the testes-seminal vesicles complex was significantly higher in the SP treatment. Additionally, SDS-PAGE revealed that the ejaculate was qualitatively different depending on the larval diet, and one protein of approximately 15 kDa in size was expressed only in the SP treatments. Revealing how larval diet affects reproductive traits in adult males will help shed light on the diverse evolution of insect mating systems and reproductive behavior.
Collapse
|
7
|
Hurtado J, Almeida FC, Belliard SA, Revale S, Hasson E. Research gaps and new insights in the evolution of Drosophila seminal fluid proteins. INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2022; 31:139-158. [PMID: 34747062 DOI: 10.1111/imb.12746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Revised: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
While the striking effects of seminal fluid proteins (SFPs) on females are fairly conserved among Diptera, most SFPs lack detectable homologues among the SFP repertoires of phylogenetically distant species. How such a rapidly changing proteome conserves functions across taxa is a fascinating question. However, this and other pivotal aspects of SFPs' evolution remain elusive because discoveries on these proteins have been mainly restricted to the model Drosophila melanogaster. Here, we provide an overview of the current knowledge on the inter-specific divergence of the SFP repertoire in Drosophila and compile the increasing amount of relevant genomic information from multiple species. Capitalizing on the accumulated knowledge in D. melanogaster, we present novel sets of high-confidence SFP candidates and transcription factors presumptively involved in regulating the expression of SFPs. We also address open questions by performing comparative genomic analyses that failed to support the existence of many conserved SFPs shared by most dipterans and indicated that gene co-option is the most frequent mechanism accounting for the origin of Drosophila SFP-coding genes. We hope our update establishes a starting point to integrate further data and thus widen the understanding of the intricate evolution of these proteins.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Juan Hurtado
- Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), CABA, Argentina
- Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), CABA, Argentina
| | - Francisca Cunha Almeida
- Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), CABA, Argentina
- Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), CABA, Argentina
| | - Silvina Anahí Belliard
- Laboratorio de Insectos de Importancia Agronómica, IGEAF (INTA), GV-IABIMO (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Santiago Revale
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Esteban Hasson
- Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), CABA, Argentina
- Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), CABA, Argentina
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Mrinalini, Koh CY, Puniamoorthy N. Rapid Genomic Evolution Drives the Diversification of Male Reproductive Genes in Dung Beetles. Genome Biol Evol 2021; 13:6329639. [PMID: 34426833 PMCID: PMC8382682 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evab172] [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] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The molecular basis for the evolution of novel phenotypes is a central question in evolutionary biology. In recent years, dung beetles have emerged as models for novel trait evolution as they possess distinct precopulatory traits such as sexually dimorphic horns on their head and thorax. Here, we use functional and evolutionary genomics to investigate the origins and the evolution of postcopulatory reproductive traits in male dung beetles. Male ejaculates that underlie postcopulatory sexual selection are excellent candidates to study novel trait evolution as they are complex, fast evolving, and often highly divergent in insects. We assemble de novo transcriptomes of male accessory glands and testes of a widespread dung beetle, Catharsius molossus, and we perform an evolutionary analysis of closely and distantly related insect genomes. Our results show there is rapid innovation at the genomic level even among closely related dung beetles. Genomic expansion and contraction drive the divergence of male reproductive traits and their functions. The birth of scores of completely novel reproductive genes is reinforced by the recruitment of these genes for high expression in male reproductive tissues, especially in the accessory glands. We find that male accessory glands of C. molossus are specialized for secretory function and express female, egg, and embryo-related genes as well as serine protease inhibitors, whilst the testes are specialized for spermatogenesis and sperm function. Finally, we touch upon putative functions of these evolutionary novelties using structure-function analysis as these proteins bear no homology to any other known proteins.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mrinalini
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Cho Yeow Koh
- Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Nalini Puniamoorthy
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Arnqvist G, Grieshop K, Hotzy C, Rönn J, Polak M, Rowe L. Direct and indirect effects of male genital elaboration in female seed beetles. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20211068. [PMID: 34229496 PMCID: PMC8261210 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Our understanding of coevolution between male genitalia and female traits remains incomplete. This is perhaps especially true for genital traits that cause internal injuries in females, such as the spiny genitalia of seed beetles where males with relatively long spines enjoy a high relative fertilization success. We report on a new set of experiments, based on extant selection lines, aimed at assessing the effects of long male spines on females in Callosobruchus maculatus. We first draw on an earlier study using microscale laser surgery, and demonstrate that genital spines have a direct negative (sexually antagonistic) effect on female fecundity. We then ask whether artificial selection for long versus short spines resulted in direct or indirect effects on female lifetime offspring production. Reference females mating with males from long-spine lines had higher offspring production, presumably due to an elevated allocation in males to those ejaculate components that are beneficial to females. Remarkably, selection for long male genital spines also resulted in an evolutionary increase in female offspring production as a correlated response. Our findings thus suggest that female traits that affect their response to male spines are both under direct selection to minimize harm but are also under indirect selection (a good genes effect), consistent with the evolution of mating and fertilization biases being affected by several simultaneous processes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Göran Arnqvist
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Karl Grieshop
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Cosima Hotzy
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Johanna Rönn
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Michal Polak
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA
| | - Locke Rowe
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study, Uppsala University, 752 38 Uppsala, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Zhao H, Mashilingi SK, Liu Y, An J. Factors Influencing the Reproductive Ability of Male Bees: Current Knowledge and Further Directions. INSECTS 2021; 12:insects12060529. [PMID: 34200253 PMCID: PMC8229853 DOI: 10.3390/insects12060529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Revised: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary Bumblebees and honeybees are well known as the dominant and most important pollinators in natural and agricultural ecosystems. The quality characteristics of their colonies depend greatly on the reproductive ability/quality of the parents (queens and drones). Male bees, despite their exclusive reproductive role and ability to determine colony quality, have been less considered than female bees, especially bumblebees. We reviewed the current studies on environmental factors and inherent characteristics that affect the mating success and fecundity of male honeybees and bumblebees. Temperature, nutrients, pesticides, body size, weight and age affect reproduction in male bees and consequently the progeny colony quality. However, more studies, especially in male bumblebees, are still needed to address the impacts of these factors in detail to confront the requirements of agricultural pollination and declining wild bee pollinators worldwide. Abstract Bumblebees and honeybees are very important pollinators and play a vital role in agricultural and natural ecosystems. The quality of their colonies is determined by the queens and the reproductive drones of mother colonies, and mated drones transmit semen, including half of the genetic materials, to queens and enhance their fertility. Therefore, factors affecting drone fecundity will also directly affect progeny at the colony level. Here, we review environmental and bee-related factors that are closely related to drone reproductive ability. The environmental factors that mainly affect the sperm count and the viability of males include temperature, nutrients and pesticides. In addition, the inherent characteristics of male bees, such as body size, weight, age, seminal fluid proteins and proteins of the spermathecal fluid, contribute to mating success, sperm quality during long-term storage in the spermathecae and the reproductive behaviors of queens. Based on the results of previous studies, we also suggest that the effects of somatotype dimorphism in bumblebee males on sperm quality and queen fecundity and the indispensable and exploitable function of gland proteins in the fecundity of males and queens should be given more attention in further studies.
Collapse
|
11
|
Leigh S, Rostant WG, Taylor MI, Alphey L, Chapman T. Satyrization in Drosophila fruitflies. J Evol Biol 2020; 34:319-330. [PMID: 33159350 PMCID: PMC8246970 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Revised: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 10/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The satyr of Greek mythology was half‐man, half‐goat, with an animal persona signifying immoderate sexual appetites. In biology, satyrization is the disruption of reproduction in matings between closely related species. Interestingly, its effects are often reciprocally asymmetric, manifesting more strongly in one direction of heterospecific mating than the other. Heterospecific matings are well known to result in female fitness costs due to the production of sterile or inviable hybrid offspring and can also occur due to reduced female sexual receptivity, lowering the likelihood of any subsequent conspecific matings. Here we investigated the costs and mechanisms of satyrization in the Drosophila melanogaster species subgroup of fruitflies. The results showed that D. simulans females experienced higher fitness costs from a loss of remating opportunities due to significantly reduced post‐mating sexual receptivity than did D. melanogaster females, as a result of reciprocal heterospecific matings. Reciprocal tests of the effects of male reproductive accessory gland protein (Acp) injections on female receptivity in pairwise comparisons between D. melanogaster and five other species within the melanogaster species subgroup revealed significant post‐mating receptivity asymmetries. This was due to variation in the effects of heterospecific Acps within species with which D. melanogaster can mate, and significant but nonasymmetric Acp effects in species with which it cannot. We conclude that asymmetric satyrization due to post‐mating effects of Acps may be common among diverging and hybridising species. The findings are of interest in understanding the evolution of reproductive isolation and species divergence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stewart Leigh
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Wayne G Rostant
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Martin I Taylor
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | | | - Tracey Chapman
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Male and female genotype and a genotype-by-genotype interaction mediate the effects of mating on cellular but not humoral immunity in female decorated crickets. Heredity (Edinb) 2020; 126:477-490. [PMID: 33219366 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-020-00384-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Revised: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexually antagonistic coevolution is predicted to lead to the divergence of male and female genotypes related to the effects of substances transferred by males at mating on female physiology. The outcome of mating should thus depend on the specific combination of mating genotypes. Although mating has been shown to influence female immunity in diverse insect taxa, a male-female genotype-by-genotype effect on female immunity post mating remains largely unexplored. Here, we investigate the effects of mating on female decorated cricket baseline immunity and the potential for a male-genotype-by-female-genotype interaction affecting this response. Females from three distinct genotypic backgrounds were left unmated or singly mated in a fully reciprocal design to males from the same three genotypic backgrounds. Hemocytes and hemocyte microaggregations were quantified for female cellular immunity, and phenoloxidase, involved in melanization, and antibacterial activity for humoral immunity. In this system, female cellular immunity was more reactive to mating, and mating effects were genotype-dependent. Specifically, for hemocytes, a genotype-by-mating status interaction mediated the effect of mating per se, and a significant male-female genotype-by-genotype interaction determined hemocyte depletion post mating. Microaggregations were influenced by the female's genotype or that of her mate. Female humoral immune measures were unaffected, indicating that the propensity for post-mating effects on females is dependent on the component of baseline immunity. The genotype-by-genotype effect on hemocytes supports a role of sexual conflict in post-mating immune suppression, suggesting divergence of male genotypes with respect to modification of female post-mating immunity, and divergence of female genotypes in resistance to these effects.
Collapse
|
13
|
Ramm SA. Seminal fluid and accessory male investment in sperm competition. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20200068. [PMID: 33070740 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Sperm production and allocation strategies have been a central concern of sperm competition research for the past 50 years. But during the 'sexual cascade' there may be strong selection for alternative routes to maximizing male fitness. Especially with the evolution of internal fertilization, a common and by now well-studied example is the accessory ejaculate investment represented by seminal fluid, the complex mixture of proteins, peptides and other components transferred to females together with sperm. How seminal fluid investment should covary with sperm investment probably depends on the mechanism of seminal fluid action. If seminal fluid components boost male paternity success by directly enhancing sperm function or use, we might often expect a positive correlation between the two forms of male investment, whereas trade-offs seem more likely if seminal fluid acts independently of sperm. This is largely borne out by a broad taxonomic survey to establish the prevailing patterns of seminal fluid production and allocation during animal evolution, in light of which I discuss the gaps that remain in our understanding of this key ejaculate component and its relationship to sperm investment, before outlining promising approaches for examining seminal fluid-mediated sperm competitiveness in the post-genomic era. This article is part of the theme issue 'Fifty years of sperm competition'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Steven A Ramm
- Evolutionary Biology, Bielefeld University, Konsequenz 45, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Garlovsky MD, Evans C, Rosenow MA, Karr TL, Snook RR. Seminal fluid protein divergence among populations exhibiting postmating prezygotic reproductive isolation. Mol Ecol 2020; 29:4428-4441. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.15636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2020] [Revised: 08/23/2020] [Accepted: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Martin D. Garlovsky
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences The University of Sheffield Sheffield UK
| | - Caroline Evans
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering The University of Sheffield Sheffield UK
| | | | - Timothy L. Karr
- Centre for Mechanisms of Evolution The Biodesign Institute Arizona State University Tempe AZ USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
15
|
Nakadera Y, Thornton Smith A, Daupagne L, Coutellec MA, Koene JM, Ramm SA. Divergence of seminal fluid gene expression and function among natural snail populations. J Evol Biol 2020; 33:1440-1451. [PMID: 32697880 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Revised: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Seminal fluid proteins (SFPs) can trigger drastic changes in mating partners, mediating post-mating sexual selection and associated sexual conflict. Also, cross-species comparisons have demonstrated that SFPs evolve rapidly and hint that post-mating sexual selection drives their rapid evolution. In principle, this pattern should be detectable within species as rapid among-population divergence in SFP expression and function. However, given the multiple other factors that could vary among populations, isolating divergence in SFP-mediated effects is not straightforward. Here, we attempted to address this gap by combining the power of a common garden design with functional assays involving artificial injection of SFPs in the simultaneously hermaphroditic freshwater snail, Lymnaea stagnalis. We detected among-population divergence in SFP gene expression, suggesting that seminal fluid composition differs among four populations collected in Western Europe. Furthermore, by artificially injecting seminal fluid extracted from these field-derived snails into standardized mating partners, we also detected among-population divergence in the strength of post-mating effects induced by seminal fluid. Both egg production and subsequent sperm transfer of partners differed depending on the population origin of seminal fluid, with the response in egg production seemingly closely corresponding to among-population divergence in SFP gene expression. Our results thus lend strong intraspecific support to the notion that SFP expression and function evolve rapidly, and confirm L. stagnalis as an amenable system for studying processes driving SFP evolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yumi Nakadera
- Evolutionary Biology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany.,Ecological Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Léa Daupagne
- Ecological Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Joris M Koene
- Ecological Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Steven A Ramm
- Evolutionary Biology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Injection of seminal fluid into the hemocoel of honey bee queens (Apis mellifera) can stimulate post-mating changes. Sci Rep 2020; 10:11990. [PMID: 32686702 PMCID: PMC7371693 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-68437-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Accepted: 06/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Honey bee queens undergo dramatic behavioral (e.g., reduced sexual receptivity), physiological (e.g., ovary activation, ovulation, and modulation of pheromone production) and transcriptional changes after they complete mating. To elucidate how queen post-mating changes are influenced by seminal fluid, the non-spermatozoa-containing component of semen, we injected queens with semen or seminal fluid alone. We assessed queen sexual receptivity (as measured by likelihood to take mating flights), ovary activation, worker retinue response (which is influenced by queen pheromone production), and transcriptional changes in queen abdominal fat body and brain tissues. Injection with either seminal fluid or semen resulted in decreased sexual receptivity, increased attractiveness of queens to workers, and altered expression of several genes that are also regulated by natural mating in queens. The post-mating and transcriptional changes of queens receiving seminal fluid were not significantly different from queens injected with semen, suggesting that components in seminal fluid, such as seminal fluid proteins, are largely responsible for stimulating post-mating changes in queens.
Collapse
|
17
|
Saraswathi S, Chaitra BS, Tannavi K, Mamtha R, Sowrabha R, Rao KV, Doddamane M. Proteome analysis of male accessory gland secretions in Leucinodes orbonalis Guenee (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), a Solanum melongena L. pest. ARCHIVES OF INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY 2020; 104:e21672. [PMID: 32232934 DOI: 10.1002/arch.21672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2019] [Revised: 02/27/2020] [Accepted: 02/28/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Male accessory gland (MAG) proteins are transferred along with the sperm to females at the time of mating and have diverse effects on female reproductive physiology in a wide range of insects. In this study, we sought to identify the MAG proteins in Leucinodes orbonalis Guenee, a Solanum melongena L. pest, by analyzing the MAG proteins of virgin and mated male moths by nano-LC-ESI-MS/MS techniques. A total of 142 and 131 proteins in virgin and mated males were identified, respectively, among which 17 (12.0%) and 10 (7.6%) proteins were found to show secretory signals in virgin and mated males, respectively. These secretory proteins were shown to be involved in several biological processes in insects, including egg development, sperm-related functions/capacitation, defense, metabolism, and protein chaperoning. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to perform a proteome analysis of the MAG proteins of L. orbonalis, and offers an opportunity for further investigation of the functions of these proteins. In insects, certain MAG proteins are known to inhibit mating whereas others accelerate egg-laying. Therefore, the identification of these proteins in L. orbonalis may be useful for pest control.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - B S Chaitra
- Department of Microbiology, Bangalore University, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | - Kiran Tannavi
- Department of Microbiology, Bangalore University, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | - R Mamtha
- Department of Microbiology, Bangalore University, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | - R Sowrabha
- Department of Microbiology, Bangalore University, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | - Karthik V Rao
- Department of Microbiology, Bangalore University, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | | |
Collapse
|
18
|
Patlar B, Weber M, Temizyürek T, Ramm SA. Seminal Fluid-Mediated Manipulation of Post-mating Behavior in a Simultaneous Hermaphrodite. Curr Biol 2020; 30:143-149.e4. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.11.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2019] [Revised: 09/25/2019] [Accepted: 11/05/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
|
19
|
Patlar B, Ramm SA. Genotype‐by‐environment interactions for seminal fluid expression and sperm competitive ability. J Evol Biol 2019; 33:225-236. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2019] [Revised: 10/25/2019] [Accepted: 11/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bahar Patlar
- Evolutionary Biology Bielefeld University Bielefeld Germany
| | - Steven A. Ramm
- Evolutionary Biology Bielefeld University Bielefeld Germany
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Sayadi A, Martinez Barrio A, Immonen E, Dainat J, Berger D, Tellgren-Roth C, Nystedt B, Arnqvist G. The genomic footprint of sexual conflict. Nat Ecol Evol 2019; 3:1725-1730. [DOI: 10.1038/s41559-019-1041-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2019] [Accepted: 10/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
AbstractGenes with sex-biased expression show a number of unique properties and this has been seen as evidence for conflicting selection pressures in males and females, forming a genetic ‘tug-of-war’ between the sexes. However, we lack studies of taxa where an understanding of conflicting phenotypic selection in the sexes has been linked with studies of genomic signatures of sexual conflict. Here, we provide such a link. We used an insect where sexual conflict is unusually well understood, the seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus, to test for molecular genetic signals of sexual conflict across genes with varying degrees of sex-bias in expression. We sequenced, assembled and annotated its genome and performed population resequencing of three divergent populations. Sex-biased genes showed increased levels of genetic diversity and bore a remarkably clear footprint of relaxed purifying selection. Yet, segregating genetic variation was also affected by balancing selection in weakly female-biased genes, while male-biased genes showed signs of overall purifying selection. Female-biased genes contributed disproportionally to shared polymorphism across populations, while male-biased genes, male seminal fluid protein genes and sex-linked genes did not. Genes showing genomic signatures consistent with sexual conflict generally matched life-history phenotypes known to experience sexually antagonistic selection in this species. Our results highlight metabolic and reproductive processes, confirming the key role of general life-history traits in sexual conflict.
Collapse
|
21
|
Martinossi‐Allibert I, Thilliez E, Arnqvist G, Berger D. Sexual selection, environmental robustness, and evolutionary demography of maladapted populations: A test using experimental evolution in seed beetles. Evol Appl 2019; 12:1371-1384. [PMID: 31417621 PMCID: PMC6691221 DOI: 10.1111/eva.12758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2018] [Revised: 11/19/2018] [Accepted: 12/09/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Whether sexual selection impedes or aids adaptation has become an outstanding question in times of rapid environmental change and parallels the debate about how the evolution of individual traits impacts on population dynamics. The net effect of sexual selection on population viability results from a balance between genetic benefits of "good-genes" effects and costs of sexual conflict. Depending on how these facets of sexual selection are affected under environmental change, extinction of maladapted populations could be either avoided or accelerated. Here, we evolved seed beetles under three alternative mating regimes to disentangle the contributions of sexual selection, fecundity selection, and male-female coevolution to individual reproductive success and population fitness. We compared these contributions between the ancestral environment and two stressful environments (elevated temperature and a host plant shift). We found evidence that sexual selection on males had positive genetic effects on female fitness components across environments, supporting good-genes sexual selection. Interestingly, however, when males evolved under sexual selection with fecundity selection removed, they became more robust to both temperature and host plant stress compared to their conspecific females and males from the other evolution regimes that applied fecundity selection. We quantified the population-level consequences of this sex-specific adaptation and found evidence that the cost of sociosexual interactions in terms of reduced offspring production was higher in the regime applying only sexual selection to males. Moreover, the cost tended to be more pronounced at the elevated temperature to which males from the regime were more robust compared to their conspecific females. These results illustrate the tension between individual-level adaptation and population-level viability in sexually reproducing species and suggest that the relative efficacies of sexual selection and fecundity selection can cause inherent sex differences in environmental robustness that may impact demography of maladapted populations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Emma Thilliez
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Animal EcologyUppsala UniversityUppsalaSweden
| | - Göran Arnqvist
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Animal EcologyUppsala UniversityUppsalaSweden
| | - David Berger
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Animal EcologyUppsala UniversityUppsalaSweden
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Sirot LK. On the evolutionary origins of insect seminal fluid proteins. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2019; 278:104-111. [PMID: 30682344 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2019.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2018] [Revised: 01/11/2019] [Accepted: 01/17/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
In most cases, proteins affect the phenotype of the individual in which they are produced. However, in some cases, proteins have evolved in such a way that they are able to influence the phenotype of another individual of the same or of a different species ("influential proteins"). Examples of interspecific influential proteins include venom proteins and proteins produced by parasites that influence their hosts' physiology or behavior. Examples of intraspecific influential proteins include those produced by both mothers and fetuses that mitigate maternal resource allocation and proteins transferred to females in the seminal fluid during mating that change female physiology and behavior. Although there has been much interest in the functions and evolutionary dynamics of these influential proteins, less is known about the origin of these proteins. Where does the DNA that encodes the proteins that can impact another individual's phenotype come from and how do the proteins acquire their influential abilities? In this mini-review, I use insect seminal fluid proteins as a case study to consider the origin of intraspecific influential proteins. The existing data suggest that influential insect seminal fluid proteins arise both through co-option of existing genes (both single copy genes and gene duplicates) and de novo evolution. Other mechanisms for the origin of new insect seminal fluid proteins (e.g., retrotransoposition and horizontal gene transfer) are plausible but have not yet been demonstrated. Additional gaps in our understanding of the origin of insect seminal fluid proteins include an understanding of the cis-regulatory elements that designate expression in the male reproductive tract and of the evolutionary steps by which individual proteins come to depend on other seminal fluid proteins for their activity within the mated female.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura King Sirot
- Department of Biology, The College of Wooster, Wooster, OH 44691, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Lobov AA, Maltseva AL, Mikhailova NA, Granovitch AI. The Molecular Mechanisms of Gametic Incompatibility in Invertebrates. Acta Naturae 2019; 11:4-15. [PMID: 31720011 PMCID: PMC6826153 DOI: 10.32607/20758251-2019-11-3-4-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2019] [Accepted: 09/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Fertilization (gamete fusion followed by zygote formation) is a multistage process. Each stage is mediated by ligand-receptor recognition of gamete interaction molecules. This recognition includes the movement of sperm in the gradient of egg chemoattractants, destruction of the egg envelope by acrosomal proteins, etc. Gametic incompatibility is one of the mechanisms of reproductive isolation. It is based on species-specific molecular interactions that prevent heterospecific fertilization. Although gametic incompatibility may occur in any sexually reproducing organism, it has been studied only in a few model species. Gamete interactions in different taxa involve generally similar processes, but they often employ non-homologous molecules. Gamete recognition proteins evolve rapidly, like immunity proteins, and include many taxon-specific families. In fact, recently appeared proteins particularly contribute to reproductive isolation via gametic incompatibility. Thus, we can assume a multiple, independent origin of this type of reproductive isolation throughout animal evolution. Gametic incompatibility can be achieved at any fertilization stage and entails different consequences at different taxonomic levels and ranges, from complete incompatibility between closely related species to partial incompatibility between distantly related taxa.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A. A. Lobov
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, St Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya Emb. 7/9, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia
- Laboratory of Regenerative Biomedicine, Institute of Cytology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Tikhoretsky Ave. 4, St. Petersburg, 194064, Russia
| | - A. L. Maltseva
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, St Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya Emb. 7/9, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia
| | - N. A. Mikhailova
- Centre of Cell Technologies, Institute of Cytology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Tikhoretsky Ave. 4, St. Petersburg, 194064, Russia
| | - A. I. Granovitch
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, St Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya Emb. 7/9, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Ramm SA, Lengerer B, Arbore R, Pjeta R, Wunderer J, Giannakara A, Berezikov E, Ladurner P, Schärer L. Sex allocation plasticity on a transcriptome scale: Socially sensitive gene expression in a simultaneous hermaphrodite. Mol Ecol 2019; 28:2321-2341. [PMID: 30891857 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2017] [Revised: 03/04/2019] [Accepted: 03/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Phenotypic plasticity can enable organisms to produce optimal phenotypes in multiple environments. A crucial life history trait that is often highly plastic is sex allocation, which in simultaneous hermaphrodites describes the relative investment into the male versus female sex functions. Theory predicts-and morphological evidence supports-that greater investment into the male function is favoured with increasing group size, due to the increasing importance of sperm competition for male reproductive success. Here, we performed a genome-wide gene expression assay to test for such sex allocation plasticity in a model simultaneous hermaphrodite, the free-living flatworm Macrostomum lignano. Based on RNA-Seq data from 16 biological replicates spanning four different group size treatments, we demonstrate that at least 10% of the >75,000 investigated transcripts in M. lignano are differentially expressed according to the social environment, rising to >30% of putative gonad-specific transcripts (spermatogenesis and oogenesis candidates) and tail-specific transcripts (seminal fluid candidates). This transcriptional response closely corresponds to the expected shift away from female and towards male reproductive investment with increasing sperm competition level. Using whole-mount in situ hybridization, we then confirm that many plastic transcripts exhibit the expected organ-specific expression, and RNA interference of selected testis- and ovary-specific candidates establishes that these indeed function in gametogenesis pathways. We conclude that a large proportion of sex-specific transcripts in M. lignano are differentially expressed according to the prevailing ecological conditions and that these are functionally relevant to key reproductive phenotypes. Our study thus begins to bridge organismal and molecular perspectives on sex allocation plasticity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Steven A Ramm
- Evolutionary Biology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany.,Evolutionary Biology, Zoological Institute, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Birgit Lengerer
- Institute of Zoology & CMBI, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Roberto Arbore
- Evolutionary Biology, Zoological Institute, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Robert Pjeta
- Institute of Zoology & CMBI, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Julia Wunderer
- Institute of Zoology & CMBI, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | | | - Eugene Berezikov
- ERIBA, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Peter Ladurner
- Institute of Zoology & CMBI, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Lukas Schärer
- Evolutionary Biology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Patlar B, Weber M, Ramm SA. Genetic and environmental variation in transcriptional expression of seminal fluid proteins. Heredity (Edinb) 2019; 122:595-611. [PMID: 30356222 PMCID: PMC6461930 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-018-0160-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2018] [Revised: 08/29/2018] [Accepted: 09/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Seminal fluid proteins (SFPs) are crucial mediators of sexual selection and sexual conflict. Recent studies have chiefly focused on environmentally induced plasticity as one source of variation in SFP expression, particularly in response to differing sperm competition levels. However, understanding the evolution of a trait in heterogenous environments requires estimates of both environmental and genetic sources of variation, as well as their interaction. Therefore, we investigated how environment (specifically mating group size, a good predictor of sperm competition intensity), genotype and genotype-by-environment interactions affect seminal fluid expression. To do so, we reared 12 inbred lines of a simultaneously hermaphroditic flatworm Macrostomum lignano in groups of either two or eight worms and measured the expression levels of 58 putative SFP transcripts. We then examined the source of variation in the expression of each transcript individually and for multivariate axes extracted from a principal component analysis. We found that mating group size did not affect expression levels according to the single transcript analyses, nor did it affect the first principal component (presumably representing overall investment in seminal fluid production). However, mating group size did affect the relative expression of different transcripts captured by the second principal component (presumably reflecting variation in seminal fluid composition). Most transcripts were genetically variable in their expression level and several exhibited genotype-by-environment interactions; relative composition also showed high genetic variation. Collectively, our results reveal the tightly integrated nature of the seminal fluid transcriptome and provide new insights into the quantitative genetic basis of seminal fluid investment and composition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bahar Patlar
- Evolutionary Biology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany.
| | - Michael Weber
- Evolutionary Biology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Steven A Ramm
- Evolutionary Biology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Putative Drone Copulation Factors Regulating Honey Bee ( Apis mellifera) Queen Reproduction and Health: A Review. INSECTS 2019; 10:insects10010008. [PMID: 30626022 PMCID: PMC6358756 DOI: 10.3390/insects10010008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2018] [Revised: 10/17/2018] [Accepted: 11/28/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Honey bees are major pollinators of agricultural and non-agricultural landscapes. In recent years, honey bee colonies have exhibited high annual losses and commercial beekeepers frequently report poor queen quality and queen failure as the primary causes. Honey bee colonies are highly vulnerable to compromised queen fertility, as each hive is headed by one reproductive queen. Queens mate with multiple drones (male bees) during a single mating period early in life in which they obtain enough spermatozoa to fertilize their eggs for the rest of their reproductive life span. The process of mating initiates numerous behavioral, physiological, and molecular changes that shape the fertility of the queen and her influence on the colony. For example, receipt of drone semen can modulate queen ovary activation, pheromone production, and subsequent worker retinue behavior. In addition, seminal fluid is a major component of semen that is primarily derived from drone accessory glands. It also contains a complex mixture of proteins such as proteases, antioxidants, and antimicrobial proteins. Seminal fluid proteins are essential for inducing post-mating changes in other insects such as Drosophila and thus they may also impact honey bee queen fertility and health. However, the specific molecules in semen and seminal fluid that initiate post-mating changes in queens are still unidentified. Herein, we summarize the mating biology of honey bees, the changes queens undergo during and after copulation, and the role of drone semen and seminal fluid in post-mating changes in queens. We then review the effects of seminal fluid proteins in insect reproduction and potential roles for honey bee drone seminal fluid proteins in queen reproduction and health. We finish by proposing future avenues of research. Further elucidating the role of drone fertility in queen reproductive health may contribute towards reducing colony losses and advancing honey bee stock development.
Collapse
|
27
|
Bayram H, Sayadi A, Immonen E, Arnqvist G. Identification of novel ejaculate proteins in a seed beetle and division of labour across male accessory reproductive glands. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2019; 104:50-57. [PMID: 30529580 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2018.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2018] [Revised: 12/04/2018] [Accepted: 12/06/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The male ejaculate contains a multitude of seminal fluid proteins (SFPs), many of which are key reproductive molecules, as well as sperm. However, the identification of SFPs is notoriously difficult and a detailed understanding of this complex phenotype has only been achieved in a few model species. We employed a recently developed proteomic method involving whole-organism stable isotope labelling coupled with proteomic and transcriptomic analyses to characterize ejaculate proteins in the seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus. We identified 317 proteins that were transferred to females at mating, and a great majority of these showed signals of secretion and were highly male-biased in expression in the abdomen. These male-derived proteins were enriched with proteins involved in general metabolic and catabolic processes but also with proteolytic enzymes and proteins involved in protection against oxidative stress. Thirty-seven proteins showed significant homology with SFPs previously identified in other insects. However, no less than 92 C. maculatus ejaculate proteins were entirely novel, receiving no significant blast hits and lacking homologs in extant data bases, consistent with a rapid and divergent evolution of SFPs. We used 3D micro-tomography in conjunction with proteomic methods to identify 5 distinct pairs of male accessory reproductive glands and to show that certain ejaculate proteins were only recovered in certain male glands. Finally, we provide a tentative list of 231 candidate female-derived reproductive proteins, some of which are likely important in ejaculate processing and/or sperm storage.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Helen Bayram
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Animal Ecology, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, SE-752 36, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Ahmed Sayadi
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Animal Ecology, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, SE-752 36, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Elina Immonen
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, SE-752 36, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Göran Arnqvist
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Animal Ecology, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, SE-752 36, Uppsala, Sweden.
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Lobov AA, Maltseva AL, Starunov VV, Babkina IY, Ivanov VA, Mikhailova NA, Granovitch AI. LOSP: A putative marker of parasperm lineage in male reproductive system of the prosobranch mollusk Littorina obtusata. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B-MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2018; 330:193-201. [PMID: 29750393 DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.22803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2017] [Revised: 03/20/2018] [Accepted: 04/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Reproductive isolation is the key attribute of biological species and establishment of the reproductive barriers is an essential event for speciation. Among the mechanisms of reproductive isolation, gamete incompatibility due to the variability of gamete interaction proteins may drive fast divergence even in sympatry. However, the number of available models to study this phenomenon is limited. In case of internally fertilized invertebrates, models to study gamete incompatibility and sperm competition mechanisms are restricted to a single taxon: insects. Here, we propose a group of closely related Littorina species as a new model for such studies. Particularly since periwinkles are already thoroughly studied in terms of morphology, physiology, ecology, phylogeny, and ecological speciation. Earlier, we have identified the first species-specific Littorina sperm protein (LOSP) with no known conservative domains or homologies. LOSP is relatively abundant component of sperm extracts and might be involved in gamete incompatibility. Here, we characterize its definitive localization and mRNA expression pattern in the male reproductive system by immunocytochemistry and RNA in situ hybridization. We demonstrate that LOSP distribution is limited to the parasperm cells. Losp gene expression occurs only at the early stages of parasperm development. The protein is stored within granules of mature parasperm and, most likely, is released after ejaculation inside female reproductive system. Thus, LOSP is the only described molluscan paraspermal protein to date, and there is a possibility for LOSP to be involved in gamete incompatibility since heterospermy is a common phenomenon among Littorina.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Arseniy A Lobov
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, St Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Arina L Maltseva
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, St Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Viktor V Starunov
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, St Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia.,Zoological Institute of RAS, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Irina Y Babkina
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, St Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Vadim A Ivanov
- Laboratory of Tumor growth cytology, Institute of Cytology RAS, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Natalia A Mikhailova
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, St Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia.,Centre of Cell Technologies, Institute of Cytology RAS, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Andrey I Granovitch
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, St Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Druart X, de Graaf S. Seminal plasma proteomes and sperm fertility. Anim Reprod Sci 2018; 194:33-40. [PMID: 29657075 DOI: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2018.04.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2017] [Revised: 03/19/2018] [Accepted: 04/08/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
During ejaculation, the spermatozoa are transported by the seminal plasma, a fluid resulting from secretions originating mainly from the prostate and the seminal vesicles in mammals. The interaction of the seminal plasma with spermatozoa induces binding of seminal proteins onto the sperm surface and membrane remodeling potentially impacting the sperm transport, survival and fertilizing ability in the female genital tract. The seminal plasma also contains peptides and proteins involved in the inflammatory and immune response of the female tract. Therefore the seminal plasma proteome has been investigated in a large range of taxa, including mammals, birds, fishes and insect species. The association of the seminal plasma with semen preservation or fertility identified proteic markers of seminal plasma function in domestic species. This review summarizes the current knowledge in seminal plasma proteomes and proteic markers of sperm preservation in animal species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xavier Druart
- Physiologie de la Reproduction et du Comportement, INRA, CNRS, IFCE, Université de Tours, 37380 Nouzilly, France.
| | - Simon de Graaf
- RMC Gunn Building (B19), Faculty of Veterinary Science, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Immonen E, Sayadi A, Bayram H, Arnqvist G. Mating Changes Sexually Dimorphic Gene Expression in the Seed Beetle Callosobruchus maculatus. Genome Biol Evol 2017; 9:677-699. [PMID: 28391318 PMCID: PMC5381559 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evx029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexually dimorphic phenotypes arise largely from sex-specific gene expression, which has mainly been characterized in sexually naïve adults. However, we expect sexual dimorphism in transcription to be dynamic and dependent on factors such as reproductive status. Mating induces many behavioral and physiological changes distinct to each sex and is therefore expected to activate regulatory changes in many sex-biased genes. Here, we first characterized sexual dimorphism in gene expression in Callosobruchus maculatus seed beetles. We then examined how females and males respond to mating and how it affects sex-biased expression, both in sex-limited (abdomen) and sex-shared (head and thorax) tissues. Mating responses were largely sex-specific and, as expected, females showed more genes responding compared with males (∼2,000 vs. ∼300 genes in the abdomen, ∼500 vs. ∼400 in the head and thorax, respectively). Of the sex-biased genes present in virgins, 16% (1,041 genes) in the abdomen and 17% (243 genes) in the head and thorax altered their relative expression between the sexes as a result of mating. Sex-bias status changed in 2% of the genes in the abdomen and 4% in the head and thorax following mating. Mating responses involved de-feminization of females and, to a lesser extent, de-masculinization of males relative to their virgin state: mating decreased rather than increased dimorphic expression of sex-biased genes. The fact that regulatory changes of both types of sex-biased genes occurred in both sexes suggests that male- and female-specific selection is not restricted to male- and female-biased genes, respectively, as is sometimes assumed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elina Immonen
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre (Animal Ecology), Uppsala University, Uppsala
| | - Ahmed Sayadi
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre (Animal Ecology), Uppsala University, Uppsala
| | - Helen Bayram
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre (Animal Ecology), Uppsala University, Uppsala
| | - Göran Arnqvist
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre (Animal Ecology), Uppsala University, Uppsala
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Van Haren MM, Rönn JL, Schilthuizen M, Arnqvist G. Postmating sexual selection and the enigmatic jawed genitalia of Callosobruchus subinnotatus. Biol Open 2017; 6:1008-1012. [PMID: 28583926 PMCID: PMC5550917 DOI: 10.1242/bio.025684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Insect genitalia exhibit rapid divergent evolution. Truly extraordinary structures have evolved in some groups, presumably as a result of postmating sexual selection. To increase our understanding of this phenomenon, we studied the function of one such structure. The male genitalia of Callosobruchus subinnotatus (Coleoptera: Bruchinae) contain a pair of jaw-like structures with unknown function. Here, we used phenotypic engineering to ablate the teeth on these jaws. We then experimentally assessed the effects of ablation of the genital jaws on mating duration, ejaculate weight, male fertilization success and female fecundity, using a double-mating experimental design. We predicted that copulatory wounding in females should be positively related to male fertilization success; however, we found no significant correlation between genital tract scarring in females and male fertilization success. Male fertilization success was, however, positively related to the amount of ejaculate transferred by males and negatively related to female ejaculate dumping. Ablation of male genital jaws did not affect male relative fertilization success but resulted in a reduction in female egg production. Our results suggest that postmating sexual selection in males indeed favors these genital jaws, not primarily through an elevated relative success in sperm competition but by increasing female egg production. Summary: A toothed jaw-like structure on the male genitalia of the seed beetle Callosobruchus subinnotatus increases female egg production after mating.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Merel M Van Haren
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Animal Ecology, Evolutionsbiologiskt Centrum EBC, Norbyvägen 18 D, SE-752 36 Uppsala, Uppsala University, Sweden .,Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Vondellaan 55, 2332 AA Leiden, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Johanna Liljestrand Rönn
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Animal Ecology, Evolutionsbiologiskt Centrum EBC, Norbyvägen 18 D, SE-752 36 Uppsala, Uppsala University, Sweden
| | - Menno Schilthuizen
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Vondellaan 55, 2332 AA Leiden, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Göran Arnqvist
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Animal Ecology, Evolutionsbiologiskt Centrum EBC, Norbyvägen 18 D, SE-752 36 Uppsala, Uppsala University, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Dougherty LR, van Lieshout E, McNamara KB, Moschilla JA, Arnqvist G, Simmons LW. Sexual conflict and correlated evolution between male persistence and female resistance traits in the seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 284:20170132. [PMID: 28539510 PMCID: PMC5454259 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.0132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2017] [Accepted: 04/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Traumatic mating (or copulatory wounding) is an extreme form of sexual conflict whereby male genitalia physically harm females during mating. In such species females are expected to evolve counter-adaptations to reduce male-induced harm. Importantly, female counter-adaptations may include both genital and non-genital traits. In this study, we examine evolutionary associations between harmful male genital morphology and female reproductive tract morphology and immune function across 13 populations of the seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus We detected positive correlated evolution between the injuriousness of male genitalia and putative female resistance adaptations across populations. Moreover, we found evidence for a negative relationship between female immunity and population productivity, which suggests that investment in female resistance may be costly due to the resource trade-offs that are predicted between immunity and reproduction. Finally, the degree of female tract scarring (harm to females) was greater in those populations with both longer aedeagal spines and a thinner female tract lining. Our results are thus consistent with a sexual arms race, which is only apparent when both male and female traits are taken into account. Importantly, our study provides rare evidence for sexually antagonistic coevolution of male and female traits at the within-species level.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Liam R Dougherty
- School of Biological Sciences, Centre for Evolutionary Biology, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Emile van Lieshout
- School of Biological Sciences, Centre for Evolutionary Biology, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Kathryn B McNamara
- School of Biological Sciences, Centre for Evolutionary Biology, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Joe A Moschilla
- School of Biological Sciences, Centre for Evolutionary Biology, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Göran Arnqvist
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, Uppsala 75236, Sweden
| | - Leigh W Simmons
- School of Biological Sciences, Centre for Evolutionary Biology, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Bayram H, Sayadi A, Goenaga J, Immonen E, Arnqvist G. Novel seminal fluid proteins in the seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus identified by a proteomic and transcriptomic approach. INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2017; 26:58-73. [PMID: 27779332 DOI: 10.1111/imb.12271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus is a significant agricultural pest and increasingly studied model of sexual conflict. Males possess genital spines that increase the transfer of seminal fluid proteins (SFPs) into the female body. As SFPs alter female behaviour and physiology, they are likely to modulate reproduction and sexual conflict in this species. Here, we identified SFPs using proteomics combined with a de novo transcriptome. A prior 2D-sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis identified male accessory gland protein spots that were probably transferred to the female at mating. Proteomic analysis of these spots identified 98 proteins, a majority of which were also present within ejaculates collected from females. Standard annotation workflows revealed common functional groups for SFPs, including proteases and metabolic proteins. Transcriptomic analysis found 84 transcripts differentially expressed between the sexes. Notably, genes encoding 15 proteins were highly expressed in male abdomens and only negligibly expressed within females. Most of these sequences corresponded to 'unknown' proteins (nine of 15) and may represent rapidly evolving SFPs novel to seed beetles. Our combined analyses highlight 44 proteins for which there is strong evidence that they are SFPs. These results can inform further investigation, to better understand the molecular mechanisms of sexual conflict in seed beetles.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- H Bayram
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - A Sayadi
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - J Goenaga
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - E Immonen
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - G Arnqvist
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Fritzsche K, Booksmythe I, Arnqvist G. Sex Ratio Bias Leads to the Evolution of Sex Role Reversal in Honey Locust Beetles. Curr Biol 2016; 26:2522-2526. [PMID: 27593373 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.07.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2016] [Revised: 07/05/2016] [Accepted: 07/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The reversal of conventional sex roles was enigmatic to Darwin, who suggested that it may evolve when sex ratios are female biased [1]. Here we present direct evidence confirming Darwin's hypothesis. We investigated mating system evolution in a sex-role-reversed beetle (Megabruchidius dorsalis) using experimental evolution under manipulated sex ratios and food regimes. In female-biased populations, where reproductive competition among females was intensified, females evolved to be more attractive and the sex roles became more reversed. Interestingly, female-specific mating behavior evolved more rapidly than male-specific mating behavior. We show that sexual selection due to reproductive competition can be strong in females and can target much the same traits as in males of species with conventional mating systems. Our study highlights two central points: the role of ecology in directing sexual selection and the role that females play in mating system evolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Karoline Fritzsche
- Department of Zoology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010 Graz, Austria.
| | - Isobel Booksmythe
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Göran Arnqvist
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, 752 36 Uppsala, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Immonen E, Collet M, Goenaga J, Arnqvist G. Direct and indirect genetic effects of sex-specific mitonuclear epistasis on reproductive ageing. Heredity (Edinb) 2016; 116:338-47. [PMID: 26732015 DOI: 10.1038/hdy.2015.112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2015] [Revised: 11/04/2015] [Accepted: 11/18/2015] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Mitochondria are involved in ageing and their function requires coordinated action of both mitochondrial and nuclear genes. Epistasis between the two genomes can influence lifespan but whether this also holds for reproductive senescence is unclear. Maternal inheritance of mitochondria predicts sex differences in the efficacy of selection on mitonuclear genotypes that should result in differences between females and males in mitochondrial genetic effects. Mitonuclear genotype of a focal individual may also indirectly affect trait expression in the mating partner. We tested these predictions in the seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus, using introgression lines harbouring distinct mitonuclear genotypes. Our results reveal both direct and indirect sex-specific effects of mitonuclear epistasis on reproductive ageing. Females harbouring coadapted mitonuclear genotypes showed higher lifetime fecundity due to slower senescence relative to novel mitonuclear combinations. We found no evidence for mitonuclear coadaptation in males. Mitonuclear epistasis not only affected age-specific ejaculate weight, but also influenced male age-dependent indirect effects on traits expressed by their female partners (fecundity, egg size, longevity). These results demonstrate important consequences of sex-specific mitonuclear epistasis for both mating partners, consistent with a role for mitonuclear genetic constraints upon sex-specific adaptive evolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- E Immonen
- Evolutionary Biology Centre, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - M Collet
- Master BioSciences, Department of Biology, École Normale Supérieure of Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - J Goenaga
- Evolutionary Biology Centre, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.,Århus Institute of Advanced Studies, Århus University, Århus, Denmark
| | - G Arnqvist
- Evolutionary Biology Centre, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Immonen E, Rönn J, Watson C, Berger D, Arnqvist G. Complex mitonuclear interactions and metabolic costs of mating in male seed beetles. J Evol Biol 2015; 29:360-70. [PMID: 26548644 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2015] [Accepted: 11/03/2015] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
The lack of evolutionary response to selection on mitochondrial genes through males predicts the evolution of nuclear genetic influence on male-specific mitochondrial function, for example by gene duplication and evolution of sex-specific expression of paralogs involved in metabolic pathways. Intergenomic epistasis may therefore be a prevalent feature of the genetic architecture of male-specific organismal function. Here, we assess the role of mitonuclear genetic variation for male metabolic phenotypes [metabolic rate and respiratory quotient (RQ)] associated with ejaculate renewal, in the seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus, by assaying lines with crossed combinations of distinct mitochondrial haplotypes and nuclear lineages. We found a significant increase in metabolic rate following mating relative to virgin males. Moreover, processes associated with ejaculate renewal showed variation in metabolic rate that was affected by mitonuclear interactions. Mitochondrial haplotype influenced mating-related changes in RQ, but this pattern varied over time. Mitonuclear genotype and the energy spent during ejaculate production affected the weight of the ejaculate, but the strength of this effect varied across mitochondrial haplotypes showing that the genetic architecture of male-specific reproductive function is complex. Our findings unveil hitherto underappreciated metabolic costs of mating and ejaculate renewal, and provide the first empirical demonstration of mitonuclear epistasis on male reproductive metabolic processes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- E Immonen
- Evolutionary Biology Centre, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - J Rönn
- Evolutionary Biology Centre, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - C Watson
- Evolutionary Biology Centre, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - D Berger
- Evolutionary Biology Centre, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - G Arnqvist
- Evolutionary Biology Centre, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|