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STAR Protocols Dec 2023Most species of sexually reproducing Drosophila are capable of some degree of facultative parthenogenesis, which involves the initiation of development in an...
Most species of sexually reproducing Drosophila are capable of some degree of facultative parthenogenesis, which involves the initiation of development in an unfertilized egg. Here, we present an optimized protocol to screen facultative parthenogenesis in Drosophila. We describe steps for the collection and maintenance of virgin flies. We then detail offspring screening for the analysis of parthenogenesis. This protocol can be applied to different Drosophila strains and can be adapted for the analysis of parthenogenesis in other animals. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Sperling et al..
Topics: Animals; Drosophila; Parthenogenesis
PubMed: 37740913
DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2023.102585 -
Biological Reviews of the Cambridge... Apr 2023Genomic imprinting is known from flowering plants and mammals but has not been confirmed for the Hymenoptera even though the eusocial Hymenoptera are prime candidates... (Review)
Review
Genomic imprinting is known from flowering plants and mammals but has not been confirmed for the Hymenoptera even though the eusocial Hymenoptera are prime candidates for this peculiar form of gene expression. Here, the kin selection theory of genomic imprinting is reviewed and applied to the eusocial Hymenoptera. The evidence for imprinting in eusocial Hymenoptera with the typical mode of reproduction, involving the sexual production of diploid female offspring, which develop into workers or gynes, and the arrhenotokous parthenogenesis of haploid males, is also reviewed briefly. However, the focus of this review is how atypical modes of reproduction, involving thelytokous parthenogenesis, hybridisation and androgenesis, may also select for imprinting. In particular, naturally occurring hybridisation in several genera of ants may provide useful tests of the role of kin selection in the evolution of imprinting. Hybridisation is expected to disrupt the coadaptation of antagonistically imprinted loci, and thus affect the phenotypes of hybrids. Some of the limited data available on hybrid worker reproduction and on colony sex ratios support predictions about patterns of imprinting derived from kin selection theory.
Topics: Animals; Male; Genomic Imprinting; Ants; Parthenogenesis; Reproduction; Sex Ratio; Mammals
PubMed: 36457233
DOI: 10.1111/brv.12925 -
EvoDevo Aug 2022Water fleas of the genus Daphnia have been a model system for hundreds of years and is among the best studied ecological model organisms to date. Daphnia are planktonic... (Review)
Review
Water fleas of the genus Daphnia have been a model system for hundreds of years and is among the best studied ecological model organisms to date. Daphnia are planktonic crustaceans with a cyclic parthenogenetic life-cycle. They have a nearly worldwide distribution, inhabiting standing fresh- and brackish water bodies, from small temporary pools to large lakes. Their predominantly asexual reproduction allows for the study of phenotypes excluding genetic variation, enabling us to separate genetic from non-genetic effects. Daphnia are often used in studies related to ecotoxicology, predator-induced defence, host-parasite interactions, phenotypic plasticity and, increasingly, in evolutionary genomics. The most commonly studied species are Daphnia magna and D. pulex, for which a rapidly increasing number of genetic and genomic tools are available. Here, I review current research topics, where the Daphnia model system plays a critical role.
PubMed: 35941607
DOI: 10.1186/s13227-022-00199-0 -
Comparative Biochemistry and... Feb 2021The August Krogh principle has guided many comparative physiological studies, being especially useful for developmental physiology. Several attributes of unusual, if not... (Review)
Review
The August Krogh principle has guided many comparative physiological studies, being especially useful for developmental physiology. Several attributes of unusual, if not unique, animals enable researchers to understand developmental phenomena more generally - the essence of the Krogh principle. This article provides examples of unusual traits of animals currently being used to understand development and reproduction. 1) Accelerated development greatly minimizes time spent examining how animals develop across time from egg to adult. For example, the tropical gar begins to breath air within as little as 2.5 days after hatching - much faster than other air-breathing fishes - facilitating study of the development of respiratory reflexes in fishes. 2) Transparency of the body wall has been exploited to image cardiac output in near-microscopic larvae of the zebrafish and mahi mahi, and to capitalize on bacterial biosensors to investigate development of in vivo digestive function in Caenorhabditis elegans. 3) Gigantism, as in the chicken-sized embryos of the emu, or the larvae of the paradoxical frog, allows surgeries not otherwise feasible. 4) Reproductive traits such as polyembryony in armadillos and parthenogenesis in planaria have informed us about classic gene vs. environment questions. Finally, 5) large body mass range enables clearer allometric analyses. Insects like the silk moth, show a more than a 1000-fold difference between eggs and adults. The August Krogh principle, then, is not simply to justify the study of exotic animals (as interesting as that is!), but has been used to generate a broader synthesis and understanding of all taxa.
Topics: Animals; Developmental Biology; Fishes; Models, Biological
PubMed: 33137509
DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2020.110825 -
The American Naturalist May 2022AbstractThe scarcity of asexual reproduction in vertebrates alludes to an inherent cost. Several groups of asexual vertebrates exhibit lower endurance capacity (a trait...
AbstractThe scarcity of asexual reproduction in vertebrates alludes to an inherent cost. Several groups of asexual vertebrates exhibit lower endurance capacity (a trait predominantly sourced by mitochondrial respiration) compared with congeneric sexual species. Here we measure endurance capacity in five species of lizards and examine mitochondrial respiration between sexual and asexual species using mitochondrial respirometry. Our results show reduced endurance capacity, reduced mitochondrial respiration, and reduced phenotypic variability in asexual species compared with parental sexual species, along with a positive relationship between endurance capacity and mitochondrial respiration. Results of lower endurance capacity and lower mitochondrial respiration in asexual are consistent with hypotheses involving mitonuclear incompatibility.
Topics: Animals; Lizards; Parthenogenesis; Phenotype; Reproduction, Asexual; Respiration
PubMed: 35472020
DOI: 10.1086/719014 -
Scientific Reports May 2021Non-lethal methods for semen collection from elasmobranchs to better understand species reproduction has accompanied the development of artificial insemination....
Non-lethal methods for semen collection from elasmobranchs to better understand species reproduction has accompanied the development of artificial insemination. Ejaculates (n = 82) collected from whitespotted bamboo sharks Chiloscyllium plagiosum (n = 19) were assessed and cold-stored raw or extended at 4 °C. Females (n = 20) were inseminated with fresh or 24-48 h cold-stored raw or extended semen and paternity of offspring determined with microsatellite markers. Insemination of females with fresh semen (n = 10) resulted in 80 hatchlings and 27.6% fertility. Insemination of females with semen cold-stored 24 h (n = 4) and 48 h (n = 1) semen resulted in 17 hatchlings and fertilization rates of 28.1% and 7.1% respectively. Two females inseminated with fresh or cold-stored semen laid eggs that hatched from fertilization and parthenogenesis within the same clutch. Parthenogenesis rate for inseminated females was 0.71%. Results demonstrate artificial insemination with cold-stored semen can provide a strategy for transport of male genetics nationally and internationally, precluding the need to transport sharks. Production of parthenotes in the same clutch as sexually fertilized eggs highlights the prevalence of parthenogenesis in whitespotted bamboo sharks and poses important considerations for population management.
Topics: Animals; Ejaculation; Female; Fertility; Insemination, Artificial; Male; Microsatellite Repeats; Oviposition; Parthenogenesis; Paternity; Semen Analysis; Semen Preservation; Sharks; Sperm Motility; Spermatozoa; Zygote
PubMed: 33980873
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-88568-y -
Genes Mar 2020In higher plants, sexual and asexual reproduction through seeds (apomixis) have evolved as alternative strategies. As apomixis leads to the formation of clonal... (Review)
Review
In higher plants, sexual and asexual reproduction through seeds (apomixis) have evolved as alternative strategies. As apomixis leads to the formation of clonal offspring, its great potential for agricultural applications has long been recognized. However, the genetic basis and the molecular control underlying apomixis and its evolutionary origin are to date not fully understood. Both in sexual and apomictic plants, reproduction is tightly controlled by versatile mechanisms regulating gene expression, translation, and protein abundance and activity. Increasing evidence suggests that interrelated pathways including epigenetic regulation, cell-cycle control, hormonal pathways, and signal transduction processes are relevant for apomixis. Additional molecular mechanisms are being identified that involve the activity of DNA- and RNA-binding proteins, such as RNA helicases which are increasingly recognized as important regulators of reproduction. Together with other factors including non-coding RNAs, their association with ribosomes is likely to be relevant for the formation and specification of the apomictic reproductive lineage. Subsequent seed formation appears to involve an interplay of transcriptional activation and repression of developmental programs by epigenetic regulatory mechanisms. In this review, insights into the genetic basis and molecular control of apomixis are presented, also taking into account potential relations to environmental stress, and considering aspects of evolution.
Topics: Apomixis; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Genetic Loci; Magnoliopsida
PubMed: 32245021
DOI: 10.3390/genes11030329 -
FASEB Journal : Official Publication of... Dec 2023Glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) binds to and stabilizes melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R), which activates protein kinase A (PKA) by regulating G proteins. GRP78 is...
Glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) binds to and stabilizes melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R), which activates protein kinase A (PKA) by regulating G proteins. GRP78 is primarily used as a marker for endoplasmic reticulum stress; however, its other functions have not been well studied. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to investigate the function of GRP78 during porcine embryonic development. The developmental quality of porcine embryos, expression of cell cycle proteins, and function of mitochondria were evaluated by inhibiting the function of GRP78. Porcine oocytes were activated to undergo parthenogenesis, and blastocysts were obtained after 7 days of in vitro culture. GRP78 function was inhibited by adding 20 μM HA15 to the in vitro culture medium. The inhibition in GRP78 function led to a decrease in G proteins release, which subsequently downregulated the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)/PKA pathway. Ultimately, inhibition of GRP78 function induced the inhibition of CDK1 and cyclin B expression and disruption of the cell cycle. In addition, inhibition of GRP78 function regulated DRP1 and SIRT1 expression, resulting in mitochondrial dysfunction. This study provides new insights into the role of GRP78 in porcine embryonic development, particularly its involvement in the regulation of the MC4R pathway and downstream cAMP/PKA signaling. The results suggest that the inhibition of GRP78 function in porcine embryos by HA15 treatment may have negative effects on embryo quality and development. This study also demonstrated that GRP78 plays a crucial role in the functioning of MC4R, which releases the G protein during porcine embryonic development.
Topics: Female; Pregnancy; Swine; Animals; Receptor, Melanocortin, Type 4; Endoplasmic Reticulum Chaperone BiP; Embryonic Development; Parthenogenesis; Cyclic AMP; Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases; GTP-Binding Proteins
PubMed: 37917004
DOI: 10.1096/fj.202301356R -
Trends in Genetics : TIG Mar 2020Apomixis or asexual reproduction through seeds, enables the preservation of hybrid vigor. Hybrids are heterozygous and segregate for genotype and phenotype upon sexual... (Review)
Review
Apomixis or asexual reproduction through seeds, enables the preservation of hybrid vigor. Hybrids are heterozygous and segregate for genotype and phenotype upon sexual reproduction. While apomixis, that is, clonal reproduction, is intuitively antithetical to diversity, it is rarely obligate and actually provides a mechanism to recover and maintain superior hybrid gene combinations for which sexual reproduction would reveal deleterious alleles in less fit genotypes. Apomixis, widespread across flowering plant orders, does not occur in major crop species, yet its introduction could add a valuable tool to the breeder's toolbox. In the past decade, discovery of genetic mechanisms regulating meiosis, embryo and endosperm development have facilitated proof-of-concept for the synthesis of apomixis, bringing apomictic crops closer to reality.
Topics: Apomixis; Crops, Agricultural; Flowers; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Meiosis; Plant Proteins; Reproduction; Seeds
PubMed: 31973878
DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2019.12.006 -
Planta Mar 2023Apomixis is a complex evolutionary trait with many possible origins. Here we discuss various clues and causes, ultimately proposing a model harmonizing the three working... (Review)
Review
Apomixis is a complex evolutionary trait with many possible origins. Here we discuss various clues and causes, ultimately proposing a model harmonizing the three working hypotheses on the topic. Asexual reproduction through seeds, i.e., apomixis, is the holy grail of plant biology. Its implementation in modern breeding could be a game-changer for agriculture. It has the potential to generate clonal crops and maintain valuable complex genotypes and their associated heterotic traits without inbreeding depression. The genetic basis and origins of apomixis are still unclear. There are three central hypothesis for the development of apomixis that could be: i) a deviation from the sexual developmental program caused by an asynchronous development, ii) environmentally triggered through epigenetic regulations (a polyphenism of sex), iii) relying on one or more genes/alleles. Because of the ever-increasing complexity of the topic, the path toward a detailed understanding of the mechanisms underlying apomixis remains unclear. Here, we discuss the most recent advances in the evolution perspective of this multifaceted trait. We incorporated our understanding of the effect of endogenous effectors, such as small RNAs, epigenetic regulation, hormonal pathways, protein turnover, and cell wall modification in response to an upside stress. This can be either endogenous (hybridization or polyploidization) or exogenous environmental stress, mainly due to oxidative stress and the corresponding ROS (Reacting Oxygen Species) effectors. Finally, we graphically represented this tangled web.
Topics: Epigenesis, Genetic; Apomixis; Plant Breeding; Seeds; Crops, Agricultural
PubMed: 37000270
DOI: 10.1007/s00425-023-04124-0