Link to the University of Pittsburgh Homepage
Link to the University Library System Homepage Link to the Contact Us Form

Evolutionary Rate Covariation Identifies New Members of a Protein Network Required for Drosophila melanogaster Female Post-Mating Responses

Findlay, GD and Sitnik, JL and Wang, W and Aquadro, CF and Clark, NL and Wolfner, MF (2014) Evolutionary Rate Covariation Identifies New Members of a Protein Network Required for Drosophila melanogaster Female Post-Mating Responses. PLoS Genetics, 10 (1). ISSN 1553-7390

[img]
Preview
PDF
Published Version
Available under License : See the attached license file.

Download (1MB) | Preview
[img] Plain Text (licence)
Available under License : See the attached license file.

Download (1kB)

Abstract

Seminal fluid proteins transferred from males to females during copulation are required for full fertility and can exert dramatic effects on female physiology and behavior. In Drosophila melanogaster, the seminal protein sex peptide (SP) affects mated females by increasing egg production and decreasing receptivity to courtship. These behavioral changes persist for several days because SP binds to sperm that are stored in the female. SP is then gradually released, allowing it to interact with its female-expressed receptor. The binding of SP to sperm requires five additional seminal proteins, which act together in a network. Hundreds of uncharacterized male and female proteins have been identified in this species, but individually screening each protein for network function would present a logistical challenge. To prioritize the screening of these proteins for involvement in the SP network, we used a comparative genomic method to identify candidate proteins whose evolutionary rates across the Drosophila phylogeny co-vary with those of the SP network proteins. Subsequent functional testing of 18 co-varying candidates by RNA interference identified three male seminal proteins and three female reproductive tract proteins that are each required for the long-term persistence of SP responses in females. Molecular genetic analysis showed the three new male proteins are required for the transfer of other network proteins to females and for SP to become bound to sperm that are stored in mated females. The three female proteins, in contrast, act downstream of SP binding and sperm storage. These findings expand the number of seminal proteins required for SP's actions in the female and show that multiple female proteins are necessary for the SP response. Furthermore, our functional analyses demonstrate that evolutionary rate covariation is a valuable predictive tool for identifying candidate members of interacting protein networks. © 2014 Findlay et al.


Share

Citation/Export:
Social Networking:
Share |

Details

Item Type: Article
Status: Published
Creators/Authors:
CreatorsEmailPitt UsernameORCID
Findlay, GD
Sitnik, JL
Wang, W
Aquadro, CF
Clark, NLnclark@pitt.eduNCLARK
Wolfner, MF
Contributors:
ContributionContributors NameEmailPitt UsernameORCID
EditorZhang, JianzhiUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Date: 1 January 2014
Date Type: Publication
Journal or Publication Title: PLoS Genetics
Volume: 10
Number: 1
DOI or Unique Handle: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1004108
Schools and Programs: School of Medicine > Computational and Systems Biology
Refereed: Yes
ISSN: 1553-7390
Date Deposited: 01 Jul 2014 16:14
Last Modified: 05 Feb 2019 15:55
URI: http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/22119

Metrics

Monthly Views for the past 3 years

Plum Analytics

Altmetric.com


Actions (login required)

View Item View Item