The RGS gene loco is essential for male reproductive system differentiation in Drosophila melanogaster (original) (raw)
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Mechanisms of Development, 2001
The loco gene encodes members of a family of RGS proteins responsible for the negative regulation of G-protein signalling. At least two transcripts of loco are expressed in oogenesis, loco-c2 is observed in the anterior-dorsal follicle cells and is downstream of the epidermal growth factor receptor signalling pathway, initiated in the oocyte. loco-c3 is a new transcript of loco, which is expressed in the nurse cells from stage 6 onwards. Analysis of newly generated mutants and antisense technology enabled us to establish that disrupting loco in follicle cells results in ventralized eggs, while disrupting loco in nurse cells results in short eggs, due to defective dumping of the nurse cell cytoplasm into the oocyte. q
A Drosophila toolkit for defining gene function in spermatogenesis
Reproduction, 2017
Expression profiling and genomic sequencing methods enable the accumulation of vast quantities of data that relate to the expression of genes during the maturation of male germ cells from primordial germ cells to spermatozoa and potential mutations that underlie male infertility. However, the determination of gene function in specific aspects of spermatogenesis or linking abnormal gene function with infertility remain rate limiting, as even in an era of CRISPR analysis of gene function in mammalian models, this still requires considerable resources and time. Comparative developmental biology studies have shown the remarkable conservation of spermatogenic developmental processes from insects to vertebrates and provide an avenue of rapid assessment of gene function to inform the potential roles of specific genes in rodent and human spermatogenesis. The vinegar fly,Drosophila melanogaster, has been used as a model organism for developmental genetic studies for over one hundred years, a...
Scientific Reports
Interspecific hybridization is a stressful condition that can lead to sterility and/or inviability through improper gene regulation in Drosophila species with a high divergence time. However, the extent of these abnormalities in hybrids of recently diverging species is not well known. Some studies have shown that in Drosophila, the mechanisms of postzygotic isolation may evolve more rapidly in males than in females and that the degree of viability and sterility is associated with the genetic distance between species. Here, we used transcriptomic comparisons between two Drosophila mojavensis subspecies and D. arizonae (repleta group, Drosophila) and identified greater differential gene expression in testes than in ovaries. We tested the hypothesis that the severity of the interspecies hybrid phenotype is associated with the degree of gene misregulation. We showed limited gene misregulation in fertile females and an increase in the amount of misregulation in males with more severe ste...
Seminal fluid gene expression and reproductive fitness in Drosophila melanogaster
BMC Ecology and Evolution, 2022
Background The rapid evolution of seminal fluid proteins (SFPs) has been suggested to be driven by adaptations to postcopulatory sexual selection (e.g. sperm competition). However, we have recently shown that most SFPs evolve rapidly under relaxed selective pressures. Given the role of SFPs in competition for fertilization phenotypes, like the ability to transfer and store sperm and the modulation of female receptivity and ovulation, the prevalence of selectively relaxed SFPs appears as a conundrum. One possible explanation is that selection on SFPs might be relaxed in terms of protein amino acid content, but adjustments of expression are essential for post-mating function. Interestingly, there is a general lack of systematic implementation of gene expression perturbation assays to monitor their effect on phenotypes related to sperm competition. Results We successfully manipulated the expression of 16 SFP encoding genes using tissue-specific knockdowns (KDs) and determined the effec...
The International Journal of Developmental Biology, 2013
Interest in the mechanism leading to the formation of the germline and its differentiation during Drosophila development, initiated even as soon as the first ever cloned tumour suppressor gene in Drosophila, the lethal (2) giant larvae (lgl), had been identified. Further work has shown that the lgl, as well as discs large-1 (dlg) and scribble (scrib) tumor suppressor genes code for scaffolding proteins associated with either the cytoskeletal matrix or the septate junctions that act in common pathways in various tissues. This study analysed the role of Dlg, Scrib and Lgl in the embryonic gonads and testis of Drosophila melanogaster. Loss of scrib, dlg and lgl had no effect on gonad formation, but Dlg and Scrib in the gonadal mesoderm acted critically in the somatic wrapping of the pole cells and the internal structure of the Drosophila embryonic gonads. Dlg also affected the incorporation of the male-specific Sox100B positive mesodermal cells into the male embryonic gonads, yet Sox100B expression in dlg testis remained unaffected. Analysis at later stages revealed that scrib and lgl expression in the somatic lineage of the Drosophila testis, similar to what was previously shown for dlg, was indispensable for testis development and homeostasis, as depletion of these genes resulted in extensive testes defects. The data presented here emphasize the somatic requirement of Scrib, Dlg and Lgl in embryonic gonads, as well as in the Drosophila testis that underlines the importance of the somatic lineage in the establishment and maintenance of testis formation throughout successive developmental stages.
GAGA protein is essential for male germ cell development in Drosophila
genesis, 2014
SummaryThe Drosophila Trithorax‐like (Trl) gene encodes a GAGA factor which regulates a number of developmentally important genes. In this study, we identify a new function for Drosophila GAGA factor in male germ cell development. Trl mutants carrying strong hypomorphic alleles display loss of primordial germ cells during their migration in embryogenesis and severe disruption in mitochondria structure during early spermatogenesis. The mutation resulted in small testes formation, a deficit of germ cells, abnormal mitochondrial morphogenesis, spermatocyte death through autophagy, and partial or complete male sterility. Pleiotropic mutation effects can be explained by the misexpression of GAGA factor target genes, the products of which are required for germ cell progression into mature sperm. genesis 52:738–751, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Genome-Wide Patterns of Expression in Drosophila Pure Species and Hybrid Males
Molecular Biology and Evolution, 2003
One of the most fundamental questions for understanding the origin of species is why genes that function to cause fertility in a pure-species genetic background fail to produce fertility in a hybrid genetic background. A related question is why the sex that is most often sterile or inviable in hybrids is the heterogametic (usually male) sex. In this survey, we have examined the extent and nature of differences in gene expression between fertile adult males of two Drosophila species and sterile hybrid males produced from crosses between these species. Using oligonucleotide microarrays and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, we have identified and confirmed that differences in gene expression exist between pure species and hybrid males, and many of these differences are quantitative rather than qualitative. Furthermore, genes that are expressed primarily or exclusively in males, including several involved in spermatogenesis, are disproportionately misexpressed in hybrids, suggesting a possible genetic cause for their sterility.
Mechanisms of Development, 1997
We identified and characterized the don juan gene (dj) of Drosophila melanogaster. The don juan gene codes for a sperm specific protein component with an unusual repetitive six amino acid motif (DPCKKK) in the carboxy-terminal part of the protein. The expression of Don Juan is limited to male germ cells where transcription of the dj gene is initiated during meiotic prophase. But Western blot experiments indicate that DJ protein occurs just postmeiotically. Examination of transgenic flies bearing a dj-promoter-lacZ reporter construct revealed lacZ mRNA distribution resembling the expression pattern of the endogenous dj mRNA in the adult testes, whereas /3-galactosidase expression is exclusively present in postmeiotic germ cells. Thus, these observations strongly suggest that dj transcripts are under translational repression until spermiogenesis. To study the function and subcellular distribution of DJ in spernliogenesis we expressed a chimaeric dj-GFP fusion gene in the male germline exhibiting strong GFP fluorescence in the live testes, where only elongated sperrnatids are decorated. With regard to the characteristic expression pattern of DJ protein and its conspicuous repeat units possible functional roles are discussed.
A survey of ovary-, testis-, and soma-biased gene expression in Drosophila melanogaster adults
Genome Biology, 2004
Background Sexual dimorphism results in the formation of two types of individuals with specialized reproductive roles and is most evident in the germ cells and gonads. Results We have undertaken a global analysis of transcription between the sexes using a 31,464 element FlyGEM microarray to determine what fraction of the genome shows sex-biased expression, what tissues express these genes, the predicted functions of these genes, and where these genes map onto the genome. Females and males (both with and without gonads), dissected testis and ovary, females and males with genetically ablated germlines, and sex-transformed flies were sampled. Conclusions Using any of a number of criteria, we find extensive sex-biased expression in adults. The majority of cases of sex differential gene expression are attributable to the germ cells. There is also a large class of genes with soma-biased expression. There is little germline-biased expression indicating that nearly all genes with germline expression also show sex-bias. Monte Carlo simulations show that some genes with sex-biased expression are non-randomly distributed in the genome.