Genetic Analysis of Male x Female Interaction in Drosophila Sperm Competition

描述（由申请人提供）：有性生殖为交配对的基因型之间的成对相互作用提供了独特的机会。当涉及到雄性x雌性的相互作用时，进化可能无法优化任何一种性别的功能，并保持高水平的变异。这似乎是影响果蝇精子竞争和其他生殖健康属性的因素。附属腺蛋白（Acps）介导这些相互作用的各个方面，并且沿着与Acps相互作用的雌性分子，它们将提供量化特定雄性x雌性相互作用的分子途径。果蝇精子竞争为研究有性生殖中的雌雄相互作用提供了一个独特的系统。第一个目的是使用从自然人群中分离的遗传菌株，以量化男性x女性的相互作用的精子竞争的组成部分，并最终，生殖健康的重点是那些可能介导的Acps和在女性中相互作用的过程。在双交配的女性，繁殖力，生育力和女性接受性的父亲成功将被评分。本研究将量化生殖健康的组成部分，验证目标2的结果。第二个目标是通过测试特定男性Acp基因的RNAi敲除来剖析男性X女性的相互作用，该基因跨越一系列充分表征的野生女性基因型。将在对照雄性和具有通过RNAi敲低的特定Acp的雄性之间进行生殖表型的比较。重点将是影响精子储存或精子竞争的Acp。将鉴定对每种敲除高度和低度应答的雌性品系，并将相互作用划分为由每种Acp介导的组分。目的2将确定特定的相互作用的Acps与女性的背景和女性的反应基因与男性的背景。这将扩展对男性和女性生殖贡献的遗传变异的理解，以及遗传变异如何以及为什么在自然界中保持。由于要检查的基因涉及基本的生殖功能，这些结果将扩大了解特发性人类不育症的基础，特别是那些没有性别特异性原因可以确定，并可能反映合作伙伴之间的遗传不相容。 公共卫生相关性：果蝇将被用作模型，以量化雄性x雌性在生育方面的遗传相互作用。该项目旨在了解杂交中特定基因型对的异常育性的情况，当两种基因型本身在其育性方面都不罕见时。这也将是相关的解释人类不孕症的基础，产生于生殖不兼容之间的特定对个人参与。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Sexual reproduction provides a unique opportunity for pairwise interactions between genotypes of mating pairs. When male x female interactions are involved, evolution may fail to optimize functions for either sex, and retains a high level of variation. This appears to be the case for factors influencing sperm competition and other reproductive fitness attributes in Drosophila. The accessory gland proteins (Acps) mediate aspects of these interactions, and along with the female molecules that interact with Acps, they will provide a molecular path to quantifying specific male x female interactions. Drosophila sperm competition provides a unique system for studying male x female interactions in sexaul reproduction. The first aim is to use genetic isolates from natural populations to quantify male x female interactions in components of sperm competition and ultimately, reproductive fitness with a focus on those likely to be mediated by Acps and the processes that interact in females. Paternity success in doubly mated females, fecundity, fertility, and female receptivity will be scored. This study will quantify reproductive fitness components for validation of the findings of Aim 2. The second aim is to dissect male x female interactions by testing RNAi knockdowns of specific male Acp genes across a range of well-characterized wild female genotypes. Comparisons of reproductive phenotypes will be made between control males and males with specific Acps knocked down by RNAi. Focus will be Acps that effect sperm storage or sperm competition. Female lines that are hyper- and hypo-responsive to each knockdown will be identified, and interactions will be partitioned into components mediated by each Acp. Aim 2 will identify specific interactions of Acps with female backgrounds and female response genes with male backgrounds. This will extend the understanding of the genetic variation in male and female contributions to reproduction, as well as how and why genetic variation is maintained in nature. Since the genes to be examined involve basic reproductive functions, these results will expand the foundation for understanding cases of idiopathic human infertility, specifically those in which no sex-specific cause can be identified and may reflect genetic incompatibility between the partners. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Drosophila melanogaster will be used as a model to quantify the male x female genetic interactions in aspects of fertility. The project aims to understand cases of aberrant fertility of particular genotype-pairs in crosses, when neither genotype by itself is unusual in its fertility. It will also be relevant to explaining the basis for human infertilities that arise from a reproductive incompatibility between the particular pair of individuals involved.