Center for Reproductive Evolution, Biology Department, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA.
G3 (Bethesda). 2021 Apr 23;11(3). doi: 10.1093/g3journal/jkab020.
Sexual reproduction in internally fertilizing species requires complex coordination between female and male reproductive systems and among the diverse tissues of the female reproductive tract (FRT). Here, we report a comprehensive, tissue-specific investigation of Drosophila melanogaster FRT gene expression before and after mating. We identified expression profiles that distinguished each tissue, including major differences between tissues with glandular or primarily nonglandular epithelium. All tissues were enriched for distinct sets of genes possessing secretion signals that exhibited accelerated evolution, as might be expected for genes participating in molecular interactions between the sexes within the FRT extracellular environment. Despite robust transcriptional differences between tissues, postmating responses were dominated by coordinated transient changes indicative of an integrated systems-level functional response. This comprehensive characterization of gene expression throughout the FRT identifies putative female contributions to postcopulatory events critical to reproduction and potentially reproductive isolation, as well as the putative targets of sexual selection and conflict.
有性生殖在体内受精的物种中需要雌性和雄性生殖系统之间以及雌性生殖道 (FRT) 的各种组织之间的复杂协调。在这里，我们报告了对交配前后果蝇 FRT 基因表达的全面、组织特异性研究。我们确定了区分每个组织的表达谱，包括具有腺体或主要非腺体上皮的组织之间的主要差异。所有组织都富含具有分泌信号的独特基因集，这些基因的进化速度加快，这可能是参与 FRT 细胞外环境中性别间分子相互作用的基因所预期的。尽管组织之间存在强大的转录差异，但交配后的反应主要由协调的瞬态变化主导，表明存在系统级功能反应的综合。FRT 中整个基因表达的这种全面特征描述确定了雌性对繁殖和潜在生殖隔离至关重要的交配后事件的潜在贡献，以及性选择和冲突的潜在目标。
