Integrated 3D view of postmating responses by the Drosophila melanogaster female reproductive tract, obtained by micro-computed tomography scanning
Autor: | Frank W. Avila, Alexandra L. Mattei, Mark L. Riccio, Mariana F. Wolfner |
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Rok vydání: | 2015 |
Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Seminal proteins media_common.quotation_subject Uterus 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences 03 medical and health sciences medicine Mating skin and connective tissue diseases 030304 developmental biology media_common 0303 health sciences Multidisciplinary biology Anatomy biology.organism_classification Sperm Cell biology medicine.anatomical_structure Oviduct sense organs Drosophila melanogaster medicine.symptom Reproduction Muscle contraction |
Zdroj: | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 112:8475-8480 |
ISSN: | 1091-6490 0027-8424 |
Popis: | Physiological changes in females during and after mating are triggered by seminal fluid components in conjunction with female-derived molecules. In insects, these changes include increased egg production, storage of sperm, and changes in muscle contraction within the reproductive tract (RT). Such postmating changes have been studied in dissected RT tissues, but understanding their coordination in vivo requires a holistic view of the tissues and their interrelationships. Here, we used high-resolution, multiscale micro-computed tomography (CT) scans to visualize and measure postmating changes in situ in the Drosophila female RT before, during, and after mating. These studies reveal previously unidentified dynamic changes in the conformation of the female RT that occur after mating. Our results also reveal how the reproductive organs temporally shift in concert within the confines of the abdomen. For example, we observed chiral loops in the uterus and in the upper common oviduct that relax and constrict throughout sperm storage and egg movement. We found that specific seminal fluid proteins or female secretions mediate some of the postmating changes in morphology. The morphological movements, in turn, can cause further changes due to the connections among organs. In addition, we observed apparent copulatory damage to the female intima, suggesting a mechanism for entry of seminal proteins, or other exogenous components, into the female’s circulatory system. The 3D reconstructions provided by high-resolution micro-CT scans reveal how male and female molecules and anatomy interface to carry out and coordinate mating-dependent changes in the female’s reproductive physiology. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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