A role for sperm in regulation of egg-laying in the Nematode C. elegans
| Autor: | Marie McGovern, Cathy Savage-Dunn, David Greenstein, Ling Yu, Mary E. Kosinski |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Předmět: |
Male
animal structures Oviposition Zoology Context (language use) Biology 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine Hermaphrodite Animals Mating Caenorhabditis elegans Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins lcsh:QH301-705.5 Genes Helminth reproductive and urinary physiology 030304 developmental biology Genetics 0303 health sciences Reproductive success fungi Temperature Helminth Proteins biology.organism_classification Immunohistochemistry Spermatozoa Sperm Phenotype Nematode lcsh:Biology (General) Mutation embryonic structures Female Developmental biology 030217 neurology & neurosurgery Research Article Developmental Biology |
| Zdroj: | BMC Developmental Biology, Vol 7, Iss 1, p 41 (2007) BMC Developmental Biology |
| ISSN: | 1471-213X |
| DOI: | 10.1186/1471-213x-7-41 |
| Popis: | Background In insects and in mammals, male sperm and seminal fluid provide signaling factors that influence various aspects of female physiology and behavior to promote reproductive success and to compete with other males. It is less apparent how important such signaling is in the context of a self-fertile hermaphrodite species. We have addressed this question in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, which can reproduce either by hermaphrodite self-fertilization or by male-hermaphrodite mating. Results We have studied the egg-laying defective mutant, egl-32, and found that the cellular basis of the egl-32 egg-laying phenotype is likely a defect in sperm. First, the time of egl-32 action coincides with the timing of spermatogenesis in the hermaphrodite. Second, egl-32 interacts with genes expressed in sperm. Third, mating experiments have revealed that wild-type sperm can rescue the egg-laying defect of egl-32 mutant animals. Most importantly, introduction of mutant egl-32 sperm into wild-type hermaphrodites or females is sufficient to induce an egg-laying defective phenotype. Conclusion Previous work has revealed that C. elegans sperm release factors that stimulate oocyte maturation and ovulation. Here we describe evidence that sperm also promote egg laying, the release of embryos from the uterus. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|