POMASE · Mechanisms of post-mating sexual selection in a marine invertebrate
7РП — „Хора“ (Действия „Мария Кюри“)
- Период
- 2014-09-01 → 2016-08-31
- Финансиране от ЕС
- 198 776 €
- Участници
- 1
- Схема
- MC-IOF
Линиите свързват координатора с партньорите.
Накратко на български
Механизмите на сексуалния подбор след оплождането се проучват чрез химическата комуникация между яйцеклетката и сперматозоидите при морските миди. Това помага за по-доброто разбиране на биологията на сперматозоидите и процесите на еволюция в животинското царство.
Кратко обяснение, генерирано от езиков модел по текста на CORDIS. Оригиналът е по-долу.
Резултати накратко
Periodic Report Summary 1 - POMASE (Mechanisms of post-mating sexual selection in a marine invertebrate)
Despite the fact that post-mating sexual selection (PMSS) act as a powerful evolutionary force in the nature, our knowledge about its mechanisms is still very limited. The primary aim of the POMASE is to produce new information about the mechanistic basis of PMSS. During the outgoing phase of the POMASE (1.9.2014-31.8.2015) we clarified the role of the sperm surface carbohydrates and gamete-level chemical communication as a mediator of this process in a marine mussel Mytilys galloprovincialis. We first developed a flow cytometric method for the quantification of female (‘egg water’) -induced sperm acrosome reaction and sperm surface glycan modifications in our model species. Then we demonstrated that both of these sperm surface reorganizations are strongly dependent on the specific identities of males and females (male-by-female interaction) and that Ca2+ and RNA influx to the sperm may form the mechanistic basis of this sexual selection. Together, these results demonstrate previously unknown, molecular-level mechanism of post-mating sexual selection. Thus, it is likely that the expected final results of the POMASE will significantly increase our understanding about the mechanisms of PMSS. Given that better understanding of the molecular level recognition mechanisms between gametes is believed to revolutionize our understanding of both sperm biology and sexual selection (Holt & Fazeli 2015, Mol. Hum. Reprod. 21: 491-501), the scientific impact of the project can be significant. Furthermore, as PMSS is a ubiquitous phenomenon in the Animal Kingdom, clarifying its mechanistic basis in broadcast spawning species can help us to better understand patterns of selection and evolution in general, both of which are common topics in everyday life and of widespread interest among the general public. Finally, due to the universal nature of gamete communication mechanisms, proposed project may also produce useful new information e.g. for clinical purposes such as for the development of male contraceptives.
Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз
Цел на проекта
Sexual selection continues after mating up to the point of fertilization (post-mating sexual selection, PMSS) through intersexual selection (cryptic female choice, CFC) and intrasexual selection between ejaculates (sperm competition, SC). Although PMSS is ubiquitous in nature, the mechanisms and selective processes underlying both CFC and SC have remained largely enigmatic. CFC is often thought to be mediated by interactions between reproductive proteins of eggs and sperm that mediate the fusion of gametes at fertilization. However, only a few empirical studies have directly tested this prediction. Similarly, our understanding of intrasexual PMSS is equally poor, because we lack a general understanding of how selection operates on the multiple ejaculate traits that make up the ejaculate as single integrated unit. I will clarify these weakly known parts of the sexual selection in broadcast spawning marine mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis. Specifically, I will utilize the latest technological and methodological advances of proteomics and recently devised method for fluorescent staining of living spermatozoa. Together, these approaches will enable me to characterize and identify the proteome of male and female gametes and investigate whether egg-derived sperm chemoattractants have the capacity to bias competitive fertilization success (i.e. the outcome of CFC and SC). In addition, I will characterize patterns of multivariate selection on ejaculate traits when sperm compete to fertilize the eggs, thus addressing one of the key challenges remaining in sexual selection research. Proposed methodological approaches are rarely applied to evolutionary studies and have never been combined into PMSS research. I anticipate that this research will reveal previously unknown mechanisms of PMSS and thus may lead to groundbreaking findings that broaden our current understanding of sexual selection.
Оригинален текст от CORDIS (на английски).
Участници
- ITA-SUOMEN YLIOPISTO · KUOPIOКоординаторФинландия
Връзки
Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз