27 research outputs found
Fluctuating asymmetry in relation to two fitness components, adult longevity and male mating success in a ladybird beetle, Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)
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Gene expression and alternative splicing dynamics are perturbed in female head transcriptomes following heterospecific copulation
Background: Despite the growing interest in the female side of copulatory interactions, the roles played by differential expression and alternative splicing mechanisms of pre-RNA on tissues outside of the reproductive tract have remained largely unknown. Here we addressed these questions in the context of con- vs heterospecific matings between Drosophila mojavensis and its sister species, D. arizonae. We analyzed transcriptional responses in female heads using an integrated investigation of genome-wide patterns of gene expression, including differential expression (DE), alternative splicing (AS) and intron retention (IR). Results: Our results indicated that early transcriptional responses were largely congruent between con- and heterospecific matings but are substantially perturbed over time. Conspecific matings induced functional pathways related to amino acid balance previously associated with the brain’s physiology and female postmating behavior. Heterospecific matings often failed to activate regulation of some of these genes and induced expression of additional genes when compared with those of conspecifically-mated females. These mechanisms showed functional specializations with DE genes mostly linked to pathways of proteolysis and nutrient homeostasis, while AS genes were more related to photoreception and muscle assembly pathways. IR seems to play a more general role in DE regulation during the female postmating response. Conclusions: We provide evidence showing that AS genes substantially perturbed by heterospecific matings in female heads evolve at slower evolutionary rates than the genome background. However, DE genes evolve at evolutionary rates similar, or even higher, than those of male reproductive genes, which highlights their potential role in sexual selection and the evolution of reproductive barriers. © 2021, The Author(s).Open access journalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]
Pre-mating isolation is determined by larval rearing substrates in cactophilicDrosophila mojavensis. II. Effects of larval substrates on time to copulation, mate choice and mating propensity
Fluctuating asymmetry and lifetime mating success are correlated in males of the damselfly Coenagrion puella (Odonata: Coenagrionidae)
Host ecology shapes geographical variation for resistance to bacterial infection in Drosophila melanogaster
Forty years of solitude: life-history divergence and behavioural isolation between laboratory lines of Drosophila melanogaster
Multiple mating, sperm transfer and oviposition pattern in the giant sperm species, Drosophila bifurca
Evolution of genes and genomes on the Drosophila phylogeny
Comparative analysis of multiple genomes in a phylogenetic framework dramatically improves the precision and sensitivity of evolutionary inference, producing more robust results than single-genome analyses can provide. The genomes of 12 Drosophila species, ten of which are presented here for the first time (sechellia, simulans, yakuba, erecta, ananassae, persimilis, willistoni, mojavensis, virilis and grimshawi), illustrate how rates and patterns of sequence divergence across taxa can illuminate evolutionary processes on a genomic scale. These genome sequences augment the formidable genetic tools that have made Drosophila melanogaster a pre-eminent model for animal genetics, and will further catalyse fundamental research on mechanisms of development, cell biology, genetics, disease, neurobiology, behaviour, physiology and evolution. Despite remarkable similarities among these Drosophila species, we identified many putatively non-neutral changes in protein-coding genes, non-coding RNA genes, and cis-regulatory regions. These may prove to underlie differences in the ecology and behaviour of these diverse species.Andrew G. Clark ... Lloyd Low ... et al