Research Starter Grant

在许多物种中，雌性对雄性精液蛋白表现出局部免疫反应，帮助抵御雄性传播的性传播疾病。然而，这种免疫反应也可能杀死精子。因此，在雌性与多个雄性交配的物种中，雌性免疫反应可能会限制可供授精的精子数量，从而降低雄性的生殖潜力。在几个动物系统中的初步研究表明，男性将蛋白质与精子一起传递，这些蛋白质通过抑制有效的免疫反应来提高精子存活率。因此，雌性在每次交配时可能会经历更高的致病感染风险，导致性别之间在雌性对受精的免疫反应方面的利益冲突。这一建议的主要焦点是研究这种两性之间的拮抗关系在(1)生殖和免疫蛋白质的进化和(2)物种形成中所起的作用。关于第一个目标，当雄性果蝇与免疫抑制的雌性果蝇交配时，将评估它们的生殖成功(例如，更多的可存活精子储存在免疫抑制的雌性生殖道中)。该提案还将调查哪些女性免疫途径受到损害，以及哪些男性蛋白质参与免疫抑制。第二个目标将检验性对抗关系的可能性，以维持阿洛尼莫比斯属几个杂交种类的蟋蟀之间的物种边界。简而言之，这项提案中概述的目标将阐明性对抗对免疫和生殖进化的潜在贡献，以及这些系统之间的共同进化如何有助于物种形成。拟议的研究将涉及在当地K-12课堂的教育推广计划，并将涉及来自不同种族背景的本科生和研究生。研究成果将在科学文献以及更受欢迎的媒体上传播，并通过一个公共访问网站传播。

In many species, females exhibit a localized immune response to male seminal proteins that helps defend against sexually transmitted diseases passed by the male. However, this immune response may also kill sperm. Therefore, in species where females mate with multiple males, the females immune response may reduce a males reproductive potential by limiting the number of sperm available for insemination. Preliminary work in several animal systems has suggested that males pass proteins along with their sperm that enhance sperm survival by inhibiting an effective immune response. As a consequence, females may experience a higher risk of pathogenic infection with each mating, leading to a conflict of interest between the sexes over the females immune response to insemination. The main focus of this proposal is to investigate the role this antagonistic relationship between the sexes plays in (1) the evolution of reproductive and immunological proteins and (2) speciation. With regard to the first objective, male reproductive success will be assessed when they are mated with immune suppressed females in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster (e.g. more viable sperm are stored in the immune suppressed females reproductive tract). The proposal will also investigate which female immune pathways are being compromised, as well as which male proteins are involved in immune suppression. The second objective will examine the potential for the sexually antagonistic relationship to maintain species boundaries among several hybridizing species of crickets in the genus Allonemobius. In short, the objectives outlined in this proposal will elucidate the potential for sexual antagonism to contribute to the evolution of immunity and reproduction, and how the co-evolution between these systems contributes to speciation. The proposed research will involve an educational outreach program in local K-12 classrooms and will involve undergraduate and graduate students from various ethnic backgrounds. Research results will be disseminated in the scientific literature as well as in more popular media and through a public access website.