Seminal fluid proteins induce transcriptome changes in the Aedes aegypti female lower reproductive tract.
BMC Genomics
; 22(1): 896, 2021 Dec 15.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-34906087
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Mating induces behavioral and physiological changes in the arbovirus vector Aedes aegypti, including stimulation of egg development and oviposition, increased survival, and reluctance to re-mate with subsequent males. Transferred seminal fluid proteins and peptides derived from the male accessory glands induce these changes, though the mechanism by which they do this is not known.RESULTS:
To determine transcriptome changes induced by seminal proteins, we injected extract from male accessory glands and seminal vesicles (MAG extract) into females and examined female lower reproductive tract (LRT) transcriptomes 24 h later, relative to non-injected controls. MAG extract induced 87 transcript-level changes, 31 of which were also seen in a previous study of the LRT 24 h after a natural mating, including 15 genes with transcript-level changes similarly observed in the spermathecae of mated females. The differentially-regulated genes are involved in diverse molecular processes, including immunity, proteolysis, neuronal function, transcription control, or contain predicted small-molecule binding and transport domains.CONCLUSIONS:
Our results reveal that seminal fluid proteins, specifically, can induce gene expression responses after mating and identify gene targets to further investigate for roles in post-mating responses and potential use in vector control.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
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Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Aedes
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2021
Tipo de documento:
Article