Dissecting the phenotypic and functional consequences of sexual selection on sperm competition through a species-specific multigene family

通过物种特异性多基因家族剖析性选择对精子竞争的表型和功能影响

基本信息

批准号：
2129845
负责人：
Jose Ranz
金额：
$ 80万
依托单位：
University of California-Irvine
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Standard Grant
财政年份：
2021
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2021-09-01 至 2024-08-31
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2129845&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
Dissecting phenotypic functional consequences sexual

项目摘要

Species-specific genes have been shown to impact crucial aspects of organismal fertility and viability, mediating adaptation to changing environments. Nevertheless, how these genes exert their effects - as opposed to ancient genes, i.e. those present in multiple species - is poorly understood. This project is focused on the functional characterization of a recently originated, tandemly duplicated gene named sperm-specific dynein intermediate chain (Sdic), which was previously shown to be important for male fertility. This project will help train one postdoc, two graduate students, six undergraduates, and a large number of high-school students in functional and evolutionary analyses of genomes, with a particular focus on inclusion of members of underrepresented groups. All data and materials generated will be made publicly available to the scientific community.Sperm competition is a key mechanism of sexual selection that biases reproductive output upon mating. Although multiple genes are likely to impact sperm competition, a much lower number is relevant in driving its evolution. The Sdic gene is unique to the species Drosophila melanogaster. It is a defective form of another gene named sw, and it is present in multiple copies. Sdic has been shown to impact progeny number in cases with multiple sires of the same female, and the sequence shows signatures of positive selection. In this project, the effects of Sdic on sperm displacement will be analyzed using engineered versions of the Sdic region and fluorescence-based techniques to track the sperm in the female reproductive tract. In addition, the patterns of expression differentiation among different Sdic copies across multiple biological samples will be scrutinized using RNA-seq, which will help reveal how at least some of the Sdic copies have become functionally specialized. Lastly, using proteomic approaches, the novel functional properties of the Sdic product in relation to sw will be uncovered.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

已显示物种特异性基因会影响有机生育能力和生存能力的关键方面，从而介导对不断变化的环境的适应。然而，这些基因如何发挥其作用 - 与古代基因（即多种物种中存在的基因）相反，对这些基因的作用知之甚少。该项目的重点是最近起源的串联复制基因的功能表征，称为精子特异性动力蛋白中间链（SDIC），该基因以前被证明对男性生育很重要。该项目将帮助培训一个博士后，两名研究生，六名大学生以及大量的基因组功能和进化分析的高中生，特别着重于包括代表性不足的群体成员。所有生成的数据和材料都将公开向科学界公开使用。私家竞争是性选择的关键机制，在交配时会偏向生殖产量。尽管多个基因可能会影响精子竞争，但与推动其进化相关的数量要低得多。 SDIC基因是果蝇Melanogaster物种独有的。它是名为SW的另一个基因的有缺陷形式，并且以多个副本存在。 SDIC已显示在同一女性的多个父亲的情况下会影响后代数，并且序列显示出阳性选择的特征。在该项目中，将使用SDIC区域的工程版本和基于荧光的技术来分析SDIC对精子位移的影响，以跟踪女性生殖道中的精子。此外，将使用RNA-Seq对不同生物样品的不同SDIC副本之间的表达分化模式进行仔细检查，这将有助于揭示至少某些SDIC副本如何在功能上专业化。最后，使用蛋白质组学方法，将发现SDIC产品与SW相关的新型功能性能。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是值得通过基金会的智力优点和更广泛的影响审查标准的评估来获得支持的。