Collaborative Research: The Roles of Sperm-Egg Interactions in Reproductive Isolation in Drosophila

合作研究：精卵相互作用在果蝇生殖隔离中的作用

• 批准号: 9815962
• 负责人: Rhonda Snook
• 金额: $ 19.5万
• 依托单位: University of Nevada Las Vegas
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1999
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1999-03-01 至 2002-02-28
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9815962&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Roles; Sperm; Egg

This research will apply new technological advances to the study of an outstanding biological question - how do sperm-egg interactions during and following fertilization affect reproductive success? The primary role of sperm has traditionally been viewed as a delivery vehicle for the "DNA cargo." However, recent evidence indicates that sperm may play a more fundamental role in fertilization and early development. For example, in almost all cases examined, including humans and other mammals, the entire sperm cell enters the egg at fertilization. Sperm structure within the egg may therefore be an essential element of fertilization, as supported by the existence of Drosophila mutants defective in both sperm structure within the egg and subsequent embryonic development. This incompatibility between sperm inside the egg may represent an unrecognized mechanism of sterility between individuals. Sperm-egg incompatibility will be studied in three steps using Drosophila: (1) the 3D structure of sperm inside eggs from matings of the same species will be determined and compared with, (2) the 3D sperm structures inside eggs from matings between different species. Information gathered in (1) and (2) will be used for a detailed analysis of the fitness consequences of altered sperm-egg interactions. (3) 3D sperm structure will be determined using the CAVE, a virtual reality environment, in which 3D projections of sperm inside eggs will be traced and compared. The use of the CAVE represents a novel application of super computing technology to complex biological processes. The ubiquitous nature of sperm-egg interactions during and following fertilization suggest that these findings will have relevance to the reproductive biology to a wide range of animals, including endangered species and humans.

这项研究将应用新技术进步来研究一个突出的生物学问题——受精期间和受精后的精卵相互作用如何影响生殖成功？ 传统上，精子的主要作用被视为“DNA 货物”的运输工具。 然而，最近的证据表明精子可能在受精和早期发育中发挥更重要的作用。 例如，在几乎所有检查的情况下，包括人类和其他哺乳动物，整个精子细胞在受精时进入卵子。 因此，卵内的精子结构可能是受精的一个重要因素，这一点得到了卵内精子结构和随后胚胎发育均存在缺陷的果蝇突变体的存在的支持。 卵子内精子之间的这种不相容性可能代表了个体之间一种未被认识的不育机制。将利用果蝇分三个步骤研究精卵不相容性：(1) 确定同一物种交配卵内精子的 3D 结构，并与 (2) 不同物种交配卵内精子的 3D 结构进行比较。 (1) 和 (2) 中收集的信息将用于详细分析精卵相互作用改变的适应性后果。 (3) 将使用虚拟现实环境 CAVE 确定 3D 精子结构，在其中跟踪和比较卵子内精子的 3D 投影。 CAVE 的使用代表了超级计算技术在复杂生物过程中的新颖应用。 受精期间和受精后精子与卵子相互作用的普遍性表明，这些发现将与包括濒危物种和人类在内的多种动物的生殖生物学相关。