TY - JOUR
T1 - Drosophila female reproductive glands contribute to mating plug composition and the timing of sperm ejection
AU - McDonough-Goldstein, Caitlin E.
AU - Pitnick, Scott
AU - Dorus, Steve
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and a Scholar Award from the Philanthropic Educational Organization (to C.E.M.-G.), grants from the Eunice Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Human Development (R21-HD088910 to S.D. and S.P.), the National Science Foundation (DEB-1655840 and DEB-1811805 to S.D. and S.P.) and a generous gift by Mike and JaneWeeden to Syracuse University.
Funding Information:
This research was supported by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and a Scholar Award from the Philanthropic Educational Organization (to C.E.M.-G.), grants from the Eunice Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Human Development (R21-HD088910 to S.D. and S.P.), the National Science Foundation (DEB-1655840 and DEB-1811805 to S.D. and S.P.) and a generous gift by Mike and Jane Weeden to Syracuse University. Acknowledgements
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors.
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - Reproductive traits that influence female remating and competitive fertilization rapidly evolve in response to sexual selection and sexual conflict. One such trait, observed across diverse animal taxa, is the formation of a structural plug inside the female reproductive tract (FRT), either during or shortly after mating. In Drosophila melanogaster, male seminal fluid forms a mating plug inside the female bursa, which has been demonstrated to influence sperm entry into storage and latency of female remating. Processing of the plug, including its eventual ejection from the female's reproductive tract, influences the competitive fertilization success of her mates and is mediated by female × male genotypic interactions. However, female contributions to plug formation and processing have received limited attention. Using developmental mutants that lack glandular FRT tissues, we reveal that these tissues are essential for mating plug ejection. We further use proteomics to demonstrate that female glandular proteins, and especially proteolytic enzymes, contribute to mating plug composition and have a widespread impact on plug formation and composition. Together, these phenotypic and molecular data identify female contributions to intersexual interactions that are a potential mechanism of post-copulatory sexual selection.
AB - Reproductive traits that influence female remating and competitive fertilization rapidly evolve in response to sexual selection and sexual conflict. One such trait, observed across diverse animal taxa, is the formation of a structural plug inside the female reproductive tract (FRT), either during or shortly after mating. In Drosophila melanogaster, male seminal fluid forms a mating plug inside the female bursa, which has been demonstrated to influence sperm entry into storage and latency of female remating. Processing of the plug, including its eventual ejection from the female's reproductive tract, influences the competitive fertilization success of her mates and is mediated by female × male genotypic interactions. However, female contributions to plug formation and processing have received limited attention. Using developmental mutants that lack glandular FRT tissues, we reveal that these tissues are essential for mating plug ejection. We further use proteomics to demonstrate that female glandular proteins, and especially proteolytic enzymes, contribute to mating plug composition and have a widespread impact on plug formation and composition. Together, these phenotypic and molecular data identify female contributions to intersexual interactions that are a potential mechanism of post-copulatory sexual selection.
KW - ejaculate-female interactions
KW - female reproductive tract
KW - mating plug
KW - parovaria
KW - sperm ejection
KW - spermatheca
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U2 - 10.1098/rspb.2021.2213
DO - 10.1098/rspb.2021.2213
M3 - Article
C2 - 35105240
AN - SCOPUS:85123973097
SN - 0962-8436
VL - 289
JO - Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
JF - Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
IS - 1968
M1 - 20212213
ER -