Department of Developmental Biology, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Institute for Zoology and Anthropology, Ernst-Caspari-Haus, GZMB, Georg-August-University Goettingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077 Goettingen, Germany.
Department of Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Wildlife and Forestry Resources Management, University of Calabar, Calabar P.M. B. 1152, Cross River State, Nigeria.
Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Oct 20;23(20):12594. doi: 10.3390/ijms232012594.
Sperm marking provides a key tool for reproductive biology studies, but it also represents a valuable monitoring tool for genetic pest control strategies such as the sterile insect technique. Sperm-marked lines can be generated by introducing transgenes that mediate the expression of fluorescent proteins during spermatogenesis. The homozygous lines established by transgenesis approaches are going through a genetic bottleneck that can lead to reduced fitness. Transgenic SIT approaches have mostly focused on Dipteran and Lepidopteran pests so far. With this study, we provide sperm-marked lines for the Coleopteran pest model organism, the red flour beetle , based on the promoter/enhancer driving red (DsRed) or green (EGFP) fluorescence. The obtained lines are reasonably competitive and were thus used for our studies on reproductive biology, confirming the phenomenon of 'last-male sperm precedence' and that the spermathecae are deployed for long-term sperm storage, enabling the use of sperm from first mating events even after secondary mating events for a long period of time. The homozygosity and competitiveness of the lines will enable future studies to analyze the controlled process of sperm movement into the long-term storage organ as part of a post-mating cryptic female choice mechanism of this extremely promiscuous species.
精子标记为生殖生物学研究提供了一个重要工具,但它也是遗传害虫控制策略(如不育昆虫技术)的有价值的监测工具。通过引入介导精子发生过程中荧光蛋白表达的转基因,可以产生精子标记品系。通过转基因方法建立的纯合系经历遗传瓶颈,可能导致适应性降低。迄今为止,转基因 SIT 方法主要集中在双翅目和鳞翅目害虫上。通过这项研究,我们基于启动子/增强子驱动红色(DsRed)或绿色(EGFP)荧光,为鞘翅目害虫模型生物——红面粉甲虫提供了精子标记系。获得的系具有相当的竞争力,因此被用于我们的生殖生物学研究,证实了“最后雄精子优先”的现象,以及精囊被用于长期精子储存,使得即使在二次交配事件后,也可以使用第一次交配事件中的精子,持续很长时间。系的纯合性和竞争力将使未来的研究能够分析精子进入长期储存器官的受控过程,作为这个极其滥交物种交配后隐秘雌性选择机制的一部分。