Moth, E., Messer, F., Chaudhary, S. orcid.org/0000-0003-2360-3325 et al. (1 more author) (2024) Differential gene expression underpinning the production of distinct sperm morphs in the wax moth Galleria mellonella. Open Biology, 14 (7). 240002. ISSN 2046-2441
Abstract
Male Lepidoptera produce two distinct sperm types; each ejaculate contains both eupyrene sperm, which can fertilize the egg, and apyrene sperm, which are not fertilization competent. These sperm have distinct morphologies, unique functions and different proteomes. Their production is highly regulated, however, very few genes with specific roles in the production of one or other morph have been described. We present the first comparative transcriptomics study of precursors of eupyrene and apyrene sperm to identify genes potentially implicated in regulating or enacting the distinct differentiation programmes. Differentially expressed genes included genes with potential roles in transcriptional regulation, cell cycle and sperm morphology. We identified gene duplications generating paralogues with functions restricted to one or other morph. However, phylogenetic analysis also revealed evolutionary flexibility in expression patterns of duplicated genes between different lepidopteran species. An improved understanding of lepidopteran reproduction will be vital in targeting prevalent pests in agriculture, and on the flip side, ensuring the fertility and thus survival of pollinator populations in response to environmental stress.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Authors/Creators: |
|
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2024 The Author(s). Published by the Royal Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, which permits unrestricted use, provided the original author and source are credited. |
Keywords: | spermatogenesis; Lepidoptera; gene expression; transcriptome |
Dates: |
|
Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > School of Biosciences (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 07 Aug 2024 15:25 |
Last Modified: | 07 Aug 2024 15:25 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | The Royal Society |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1098/rsob.240002 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:215706 |