Genetic Analysis of Male x Female Interaction in Drosophila Sperm Competition

描述(由申请人提供)：有性繁殖为交配对的基因类型之间的成对互动提供了一个独特的机会。当涉及到男性和女性的相互作用时，进化可能无法优化任何性别的功能，并保持高度的变异。这似乎是影响果蝇精子竞争和其他生殖健康属性的因素的情况。辅助腺蛋白(ACP)在这些相互作用中起中介作用，与与ACP相互作用的雌性分子一起，它们将提供一条分子路径来量化特定的雄性和雌性相互作用。果蝇精子竞争为研究雄性和雌性在有性生殖中的相互作用提供了一个独特的系统。第一个目标是使用来自自然种群的基因分离来量化精子竞争中的雄性和雌性之间的相互作用，最终是生殖适合性，重点放在那些可能由acp介导的以及雌性体内相互作用的过程中。双亲雌性的父子关系成功率、繁殖力、繁殖力和雌性接受度将被计分。这项研究将量化生殖适合性成分，以验证AIM 2的发现。第二个目标是通过测试一系列特征良好的野生雌性基因对特定雄性ACP基因的RNAi敲除来剖析雄性与雌性的交互作用。将在对照雄性和特定ACPs被RNAi击倒的雄性之间进行生殖表型的比较。重点将放在影响精子储存或精子竞争的ACP上。对每个击倒反应高和低反应的雌性品系将被识别，相互作用将被划分为由每个ACP介导的组件。目的2将确定ACP与女性背景以及女性反应基因与男性背景的特异性相互作用。这将扩大对男性和女性对生殖贡献的遗传变异的理解，以及如何以及为什么在自然界中保持遗传变异。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人类特发性不孕不育病例的基础，特别是那些无法确定性别特定原因的病例，可能反映出伴侣之间的基因不相容。 公共卫生相关性：黑腹果蝇将被用作量化雄性和雌性在生育方面的遗传交互作用的模型。该项目旨在了解特定基因对在杂交中的异常育性情况，当两个基因本身的育性都不是不寻常的时候。它还将有助于解释人类不育的基础，这些不育是由所涉及的特定一对个体之间的生殖不亲和性引起的。

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.