A bias caused by ectopic development produces sexually dimorphic sperm in nematodes.
Curr Biol
; 21(16): 1416-20, 2011 Aug 23.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-21835620
ABSTRACT
Self-fertile hermaphrodites have evolved independently several times in the genus Caenorhabditis [1, 2]. These XX hermaphrodites make smaller sperm than males [3, 4], which they use to fertilize their own oocytes. Because larger sperm outcompete smaller sperm in nematodes [3-5], it had been assumed that this dimorphism evolved in response to sperm competition. However, we show that it was instead caused by a developmental bias. When we transformed females of the species Caenorhabditis remanei into hermaphrodites [6], their sperm were significantly smaller than those of males. Because this species never makes hermaphrodites in the wild, this dimorphism cannot be due to selection. Instead, analyses of the related nematode Caenorhabditis elegans suggest that this dimorphism might reflect the development of sperm within the distinct physiological environment of the hermaphrodite gonad. These results reveal a new mechanism for some types of developmental bias-the effects of a novel physical location alter the development of ectopic cells in predictable ways.
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Trastornos del Desarrollo Sexual
/
Espermatozoides
/
Caenorhabditis
/
Caracteres Sexuales
Tipo de estudio:
Prognostic_studies
Límite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Curr Biol
Asunto de la revista:
BIOLOGIA
Año:
2011
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Estados Unidos