The intimate genetics of Drosophila fertilization
TL;DR: The current knowledge of fertilization in Drosophila melanogaster is reviewed, with a special emphasis on the genes involved in the complex transformation of the fertilizing sperm nucleus into a replicated set of paternal chromosomes.
Abstract: The union of haploid gametes at fertilization initiates the formation of the diploid zygote in sexually reproducing animals. This founding event of embryogenesis includes several fascinating cellul...
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TL;DR: It is shown that histone H4 lysine 16 acetylation is maintained from oocytes to fertilized embryos in Drosophila and mammals, and maternal H4K16ac provides an instructive function to the offspring, priming future gene activation.
68 citations
TL;DR: CidB targets nuclear-protein import and protamine-histone exchange and that CidA rescues embryos by restricting CidB access to its targets and this is proposed to be a rescue mechanism for embryos.
Abstract: Intracellular Wolbachia bacteria manipulate arthropod reproduction to promote their own inheritance. The most prevalent mechanism, cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), traces to a Wolbachia deubiquitylase, CidB, and CidA. CidB has properties of a toxin, while CidA binds CidB and rescues embryonic viability. CidB is also toxic to yeast where we identified both host effects and high-copy suppressors of toxicity. The strongest suppressor was karyopherin-α, a nuclear-import receptor; this required nuclear localization-signal binding. A protein-interaction screen of Drosophila extracts using a substrate-trapping catalytic mutant, CidB*, also identified karyopherin-α; the P32 protamine-histone exchange factor bound as well. When CidB* bound CidA, these host protein interactions disappeared. These associations would place CidB at the zygotic male pronucleus where CI defects first manifest. Overexpression of karyopherin-α, P32, or CidA in female flies suppressed CI. We propose that CidB targets nuclear-protein import and protamine-histone exchange and that CidA rescues embryos by restricting CidB access to its targets.
63 citations
TL;DR: The current understanding of a mosquito sperm's journey to the egg is described, highlighting gaps in knowledge of mosquito reproductive biology and suggesting future areas of research that will illuminate how sperm successfully traverse the female reproductive tract.
Abstract: The fate of mosquito sperm in the female reproductive tract has been addressed sporadically and incompletely, resulting in significant gaps in our understanding of sperm-female interactions that ultimately lead to fertilization. As with other Diptera, mosquito sperm have a complex journey to their ultimate destination, the egg. After copulation, sperm spend a short time at the site of insemination where they are hyperactivated and quickly congregate near the entrance of the spermathecal ducts. Within minutes, they travel up the narrow ducts to the spermathecae, likely through the combined efforts of female transport and sperm locomotion. The female nourishes sperm and maintains them in these permanent storage organs for her entire life. When she is ready, the female coordinates the release of sperm with ovulation, and the descending egg is fertilized. Although this process has been well studied via microscopy, many questions remain regarding the molecular processes that coordinate sperm motility, movement through the reproductive tract, maintenance, and usage. In this review, we describe the current understanding of a mosquito sperm's journey to the egg, highlighting gaps in our knowledge of mosquito reproductive biology. Where insufficient information is available in mosquitoes, we describe analogous processes in other organisms, such as Drosophila melanogaster, as a basis for comparison, and we suggest future areas of research that will illuminate how sperm successfully traverse the female reproductive tract. Such studies may yield molecular targets that could be manipulated to control populations of vector species. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 83: 897-911, 2016 © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
53 citations
Cites background from "The intimate genetics of Drosophila..."
...melanogaster, inwhich only one sperm penetrates the egg (reviewed in Hildreth and Lucchesi, 1963; Loppin et al., 2015)....
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...This is in contrast toD.melanogaster, inwhich only one sperm penetrates the egg (reviewed in Hildreth and Lucchesi, 1963; Loppin et al., 2015)....
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TL;DR: In this chapter, the behaviors and roles of organelles during germ cell differentiation are reviewed.
Abstract: Gametes, eggs and sperm, are the highly specialized cell types on which the development of new life solely depends. Although all cells share essential organelles, such as the ER (endoplasmic reticulum), Golgi, mitochondria, and centrosomes, germ cells display unique regulation and behavior of organelles during gametogenesis. These germ cell-specific functions of organelles serve critical roles in successful gamete production. In this chapter, I will review the behaviors and roles of organelles during germ cell differentiation.
44 citations
Cites background from "The intimate genetics of Drosophila..."
...The sperm-derived centrioles potentiate the zygote to undergo the first mitosis, by allowing the formation of the first spindle, which pulls the oocyte pronucleus toward the paternal pronucleus to join them into a single nucleus (Loppin et al. 2015)....
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TL;DR: In this article, the transition from oocyte to embryo marks the onset of development and requires complex regulation to link developmental signals with profound changes in mRNA translation, cell cycle control, and metabolism.
38 citations
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TL;DR: The basic biology of Wolbachia is reviewed, with emphasis on recent advances in the authors' understanding of these fascinating endosymbionts, which are found in arthropods and nematodes.
Abstract: Wolbachia are common intracellular bacteria that are found in arthropods and nematodes. These alphaproteobacteria endosymbionts are transmitted vertically through host eggs and alter host biology in diverse ways, including the induction of reproductive manipulations, such as feminization, parthenogenesis, male killing and sperm-egg incompatibility. They can also move horizontally across species boundaries, resulting in a widespread and global distribution in diverse invertebrate hosts. Here, we review the basic biology of Wolbachia, with emphasis on recent advances in our understanding of these fascinating endosymbionts.
2,333 citations
Book•
01 Dec 1989
TL;DR: This manual covers three approaches to the field: analysis of neural development, recording and imaging activities in the nervous system, and analysis of behavior.
Abstract: Drosophila Neurobiology-Bing Zhang 2010 Based on Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory's long-running course, Drosophila Neurobiology: A Laboratory Manual offers detailed protocols and background material for researchers interested in using Drosophila as an experimental model for investigating the nervous system. This manual covers three approaches to the field: analysis of neural development, recording and imaging activities in the nervous system, and analysis of behavior. Techniques described include molecular, genetic, electrophysiological, imaging, behavioral and developmental methods.
2,026 citations
"The intimate genetics of Drosophila..." refers background in this paper
...Drosophila males transfer only a few thousands of gametes during copulation [11]....
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TL;DR: Wolbachia biology is reviewed, including their phylogeny and distribution, mechanisms of action, population biology and evolution, and biological control implications.
Abstract: ▪ Abstract Wolbachia are a common and widespread group of bacteria found in reproductive tissues of arthropods. These bacteria are transmitted through the cytoplasm of eggs and have evolved various mechanisms for manipulating reproduction of their hosts, including induction of reproductive incompatibility, pathenogenesis, and feminization. Wolbachia are also transmitted horizontally between arthropod species. Significant recent advances have been made in the study of these interesting microorganisms. In this paper, Wolbachia biology is reviewed, including their phylogeny and distribution, mechanisms of action, population biology and evolution, and biological control implications. Potential directions for future research are also discussed.
1,508 citations
TL;DR: A mechanism of chromatin regulation whereby the variant H3.3 is deposited at particular loci, including active rDNA arrays, providing a mechanism for the immediate activation of genes that are silenced by histone modification.
1,117 citations