Battle and Ballet: Molecular Interactions between the Sexes in Drosophila
Author: Wolfner, Mariana F.
Source: Journal of Heredity, Volume 100, Number 4, 25 March 2009 , pp. 399-410(12)
Publisher: Oxford University Press
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Abstract:
Varied and fascinating interactions occur between males and females to lead to the production of progeny. Interactions between the sexes continue even after the act of matingbut at the molecular and cellular level instead of between individual animals. Molecules transferred from males to females during mating (via the seminal fluid) exert potent effects on females physiology and (at least in some animals) on behavior. Taking advantage of genetic, genomic, and biochemical tools for Drosophila, we investigate molecular interactions that underlie this form of chemical communication. Recent data show that molecules and cells from both sexes participate in this ballet, facilitating the mutually beneficial outcome of increased progeny production. Examples to be presented include the storage and utilization of sperm in the mated female, and a proteolytic pathway that begins in the male but ends in the female and involves both male and female contributions. Despite the joint benefit of increased progeny production, the interests of the mating male can differ from those of his mate. Over evolutionary time this disconnect can, in theory, precipitate a battle between the sexes, potentially leading to the rapid sequence changes that have been observed for some seminal proteins across species.Keywords: mating behavior; proteolysis; rapid evolution; seminal proteins; sequence conservation
Document Type: Research article
DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esp013
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