Genomic Insights into Fertilization: Tracing PLCZ1 Orthologs Across Amphibian Lineages.
作者信息
Bainbridge Rachel E, Rosenbaum Joel C, Sau Paushaly, Carlson Anne E
机构信息
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA.
出版信息
Genome Biol Evol. 2025 Apr 3;17(4). doi: 10.1093/gbe/evaf052.
Fertilization triggers a cascade of events, including a rise in egg cytosolic calcium that marks the onset of embryonic development. In mammals and birds, this critical process is mediated by the sperm-derived phospholipase C zeta (PLCζ), which is pivotal in releasing calcium from the endoplasmic reticulum in the egg and initiating embryonic activation. Intriguingly, Xenopus laevis, a key model organism in reproductive biology, lacks an annotated PLCZ1 gene, prompting questions about its calcium release mechanism during fertilization. Using bioinformatics and RNA sequencing of adult X. laevis testes, we investigated the presence of a PLCZ1 ortholog in amphibians. While we identified PLCZ1 homologs in 25 amphibian species, including 14 previously uncharacterized orthologs, we found none in X. laevis or its close relative, Xenopus tropicalis. Additionally, we found no compensatory expression of other PLC isoforms in these species. Synteny analysis revealed a PLCZ1 deletion in species within the Pipidae family and another intriguing deletion of potential sperm factor PLCD4 in the mountain slow frog, Nanorana parkeri. Our findings indicate that the calcium release mechanism in frog eggs involves a signaling pathway distinct from the PLCζ-mediated process observed in mammals.
相似文献
Genome Biol Evol. 2025-4-3
bioRxiv. 2023-2-3
Reproduction. 2022-5-23
Reproduction. 2022-5-23
引用本文的文献
本文引用的文献
Bioinformatics. 2023-1-1
Front Cell Dev Biol. 2022-2-8
Mol Biol Evol. 2020-5-1