Originally published as Genetics Published Articles Ahead of Print on September 30, 2004.

Genetics, Vol. 169, 243-257, January 2005, Copyright © 2005
doi:10.1534/genetics.104.032870

Sperm Competitive Ability in Drosophila melanogaster Associated With Variation in Male Reproductive Proteins

Anthony C. Fiumera¹, Bethany L. Dumont and Andrew G. Clark

Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853

¹ Corresponding author: Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, 227 Biotechnology Bldg., Ithaca, NY 14853-0001.
E-mail: af223{at}cornell.edu

Multiple mating by females establishes the opportunity for postcopulatory sexual selection favoring males whose sperm is preferentially employed in fertilizations. Here we use natural variation in a wild population of Drosophila melanogaster to investigate the genetic basis of sperm competitive ability. Approximately 101 chromosome 2 substitution lines were scored for components of sperm competitive ability (P1', P2', fecundity, remating rate, and refractoriness), genotyped at 70 polymorphic markers in 10 male reproductive genes, and measured for transcript abundance of those genes. Permutation tests were applied to quantify the statistical significance of associations between genotype and phenotype. Nine significant associations were identified between polymorphisms in the male reproductive genes and sperm competitive ability and 13 were identified between genotype and transcript abundance, but no significant associations were found between transcript abundance and sperm competitive ability. Pleiotropy was evident in two genes: a polymorphism in Acp33A associated with both P1' and P2' and a polymorphism in CG17331 associated with both elevated P2' and reduced refractoriness. The latter case is consistent with antagonistic pleiotropy and may serve as a mechanism maintaining genetic variation.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. F. Wolfner Battle and Ballet: Molecular Interactions between the Sexes in Drosophila J. Hered., July 1, 2009; 100(4): 399 - 410. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. D. Findlay, M. J. MacCoss, and W. J. Swanson Proteomic discovery of previously unannotated, rapidly evolving seminal fluid genes in Drosophila Genome Res., May 1, 2009; 19(5): 886 - 896. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. A. McGraw, G. Gibson, A. G. Clark, and M. F. Wolfner Strain-Dependent Differences in Several Reproductive Traits Are Not Accompanied by Early Postmating Transcriptome Changes in Female Drosophila melanogaster Genetics, April 1, 2009; 181(4): 1273 - 1280. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. A. Ramm, L. McDonald, J. L. Hurst, R. J. Beynon, and P. Stockley Comparative Proteomics Reveals Evidence for Evolutionary Diversification of Rodent Seminal Fluid and Its Functional Significance in Sperm Competition Mol. Biol. Evol., January 1, 2009; 26(1): 189 - 198. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. Zhang, L. Amah, and A. C Fiumera Autosomal variation for male body size and sperm competition phenotypes is uncorrelated in Drosophila melanogaster Biol Lett, October 23, 2008; 4(5): 500 - 503. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Wong, S. N. Albright, J. D. Giebel, K. R. Ram, S. Ji, A. C. Fiumera, and M. F. Wolfner A Role for Acp29AB, a Predicted Seminal Fluid Lectin, in Female Sperm Storage in Drosophila melanogaster Genetics, October 1, 2008; 180(2): 921 - 931. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. A Andres, L. S Maroja, and R. G Harrison Searching for candidate speciation genes using a proteomic approach: seminal proteins in field crickets Proc R Soc B, September 7, 2008; 275(1646): 1975 - 1983. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. A. McGraw, A. G. Clark, and M. F. Wolfner Post-mating Gene Expression Profiles of Female Drosophila melanogaster in Response to Time and to Four Male Accessory Gland Proteins Genetics, July 1, 2008; 179(3): 1395 - 1408. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. L. Turner, M. T. Levine, M. L. Eckert, and D. J. Begun Genomic Analysis of Adaptive Differentiation in Drosophila melanogaster Genetics, May 1, 2008; 179(1): 455 - 473. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Cui, K. L. Sackton, V. L. Horner, K. E. Kumar, and M. F. Wolfner Wispy, the Drosophila Homolog of GLD-2, Is Required During Oogenesis and Egg Activation Genetics, April 1, 2008; 178(4): 2017 - 2029. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. L. Mueller, J. R. Linklater, K. Ravi Ram, T. Chapman, and M. F. Wolfner Targeted Gene Deletion and Phenotypic Analysis of the Drosophila melanogaster Seminal Fluid Protease Inhibitor Acp62F Genetics, March 1, 2008; 178(3): 1605 - 1614. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Wong, M. C. Turchin, M. F. Wolfner, and C. F. Aquadro Evidence for Positive Selection on Drosophila melanogaster Seminal Fluid Protease Homologs Mol. Biol. Evol., March 1, 2008; 25(3): 497 - 506. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. A McGraw, A. C Fiumera, M. Ramakrishnan, S. Madhavarapu, A. G Clark, and M. F Wolfner Larval rearing environment affects several post-copulatory traits in Drosophila melanogaster Biol Lett, December 22, 2007; 3(6): 607 - 610. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. Ravi Ram and M. F. Wolfner Seminal influences: Drosophila Acps and the molecular interplay between males and females during reproduction Integr. Comp. Biol., September 1, 2007; 47(3): 427 - 445. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. C. Fiumera, B. L. Dumont, and A. G. Clark Associations Between Sperm Competition and Natural Variation in Male Reproductive Genes on the Third Chromosome of Drosophila melanogaster Genetics, June 1, 2007; 176(2): 1245 - 1260. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. Ravi Ram, L. K. Sirot, and M. F. Wolfner Predicted seminal astacin-like protease is required for processing of reproductive proteins in Drosophila melanogaster PNAS, December 5, 2006; 103(49): 18674 - 18679. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Wong, S. N. Albright, and M. F. Wolfner Evidence for structural constraint on ovulin, a rapidly evolving Drosophila melanogaster seminal protein PNAS, December 5, 2006; 103(49): 18644 - 18649. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. A. Andres, L. S. Maroja, S. M. Bogdanowicz, W. J. Swanson, and R. G. Harrison Molecular Evolution of Seminal Proteins in Field Crickets Mol. Biol. Evol., August 1, 2006; 23(8): 1574 - 1584. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. J. Wittkopp, B. K. Haerum, and A. G. Clark Parent-of-Origin Effects on mRNA Expression in Drosophila melanogaster Not Caused by Genomic Imprinting Genetics, July 1, 2006; 173(3): 1817 - 1821. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Leips, P. Gilligan, and T. F. C. Mackay Quantitative Trait Loci With Age-Specific Effects on Fecundity in Drosophila melanogaster Genetics, March 1, 2006; 172(3): 1595 - 1605. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. C Fiumera, B. L Dumont, and A. G Clark Natural variation in male-induced 'cost-of-mating' and allele-specific association with male reproductive genes in Drosophila melanogaster Phil Trans R Soc B, February 28, 2006; 361(1466): 355 - 361. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

International Access Link

Online ISSN: 1943-2361  Print ISSN: 0016-6731
Copyright 2009 by the Genetics Society of America
phone: 412-268-1812   fax: 412-268-1813   email: genetics-gsa{at}andrew.cmu.edu