Editor’s Preface

Mahesh, Virendra B.

doi:10.1095/biolreprod63.2.355

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 30 publications

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“…A prime candidate for understanding reproductive barriers at the molecular level is the zona pellucida (ZP) gene family, which encodes for glycoproteins that create the acellular vitelline envelope around the oocyte [ 31 – 33 ]. The function of ZP proteins varies in fishes and includes uptake of nutrition, functional buoyancy [ 34 ], protection of the growing oocyte, species-specific binding, and guidance of the sperm to the micropyle [ 35 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gonadal transcriptomics elucidate patterns of adaptive evolution within marine rockfishes (Sebastes)

et al. 2015

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BackgroundThe genetic mechanisms of speciation and adaptation in the marine environment are not well understood. The rockfish genus Sebastes provides a unique model system for studying adaptive evolution because of the extensive diversity found within this group, which includes morphology, ecology, and a broad range of life spans. Examples of adaptive radiations within marine ecosystems are considered an anomaly due to the absence of geographical barriers and the presence of gene flow. Using marine rockfishes, we identified signatures of natural selection from transcriptomes developed from gonadal tissue of two rockfish species (Sebastes goodei and S. saxicola). We predicted orthologous transcript pairs, and estimated their distributions of nonsynonymous (Ka) and synonymous (Ks) substitution rates.ResultsWe identified 144 genes out of 1079 orthologous pairs under positive selection, of which 11 are functionally annotated to reproduction based on gene ontologies (GOs). One orthologous pair of the zona pellucida gene family, which is known for its role in the selection of sperm by oocytes, out of ten was identified to be evolving under positive selection. In addition to our results in the protein coding-regions of transcripts, we found substitution rates in 3’ and 5’ UTRs to be significantly lower than Ks substitution rates implying negative selection in these regions.ConclusionsWe were able to identify a series of candidate genes that are useful for the assessment of the critical genes that diverged and are responsible for the radiation within this genus. Genes associated with longevity hold potential for understanding the molecular mechanisms that have contributed to the radiation within this genus.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1870-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gonadal transcriptomics elucidate patterns of adaptive evolution within marine rockfishes (Sebastes)

et al. 2015

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Glycobiology of sperm-egg interactions in deuterostomes

Mengerink¹,

Vacquier²

2001

Glycobiology

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The process of fertilization begins when sperm contact the outermost egg investment and ends with fusion of the two haploid pronuclei in the egg cytoplasm. Many steps in fertilization involve carbohydrate-based molecular recognition between sperm and egg. Although there is conservation of gamete recognition molecules within vertebrates, their homologues have not yet been discovered in echinoderms and ascidians (the invertebrate deuterostomes). In echinoderms, long sulfated polysaccharides act as ligands for sperm receptors. Ascidians employ egg coat glycosides that are recognized by sperm surface glycosidases. Vertebrate egg coats contain zona pellucida (ZP) family glycoproteins, whose carbohydrates bind to sperm receptors. Several candidate sperm receptors for vertebrate ZP proteins have been identified and are discussed here. This brief review focuses on new information concerning fertilization in deuterostomes (the phylogenetic group including echinoderms, ascidians, and vertebrates) and highlights protein-carbohydrate interactions involved in this process.

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ZP Domain Proteins in the Abalone Egg Coat Include a Paralog of VERL under Positive Selection That Binds Lysin and 18-kDa Sperm Proteins

Aagaard

Vacquier

MacCoss

et al. 2009

Molecular Biology and Evolution

108

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Identifying fertilization molecules is key to our understanding of reproductive biology, yet only a few examples of interacting sperm and egg proteins are known. One of the best characterized comes from the invertebrate archeogastropod abalone (Haliotis spp.), where sperm lysin mediates passage through the protective egg vitelline envelope (VE) by binding to the VE protein vitelline envelope receptor for lysin (VERL). Rapid adaptive divergence of abalone lysin and VERL are an example of positive selection on interacting fertilization proteins contributing to reproductive isolation. Previously, we characterized a subset of the abalone VE proteins that share a structural feature, the zona pellucida (ZP) domain, which is common to VERL and the egg envelopes of vertebrates. Here, we use additional expressed sequence tag sequencing and shotgun proteomics to characterize this family of proteins in the abalone egg VE. We expand 3-fold the number of known ZP domain proteins present within the VE (now 30 in total) and identify a paralog of VERL (vitelline envelope zona pellucida domain protein [VEZP] 14) that contains a putative lysin-binding motif. We find that, like VERL, the divergence of VEZP14 among abalone species is driven by positive selection on the lysin-binding motif alone and that these paralogous egg VE proteins bind a similar set of sperm proteins including a rapidly evolving 18-kDa paralog of lysin, which may mediate sperm-egg fusion. This work identifies an egg coat paralog of VERL under positive selection and the candidate sperm proteins with which it may interact during abalone fertilization.

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Editor’s Preface

Cited by 3 publications

References 30 publications

Gonadal transcriptomics elucidate patterns of adaptive evolution within marine rockfishes (Sebastes)

Gonadal transcriptomics elucidate patterns of adaptive evolution within marine rockfishes (Sebastes)

Glycobiology of sperm-egg interactions in deuterostomes

ZP Domain Proteins in the Abalone Egg Coat Include a Paralog of VERL under Positive Selection That Binds Lysin and 18-kDa Sperm Proteins

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