Proteomics enhances evolutionary and functional analysis of reproductive proteins

Abstract

Reproductive proteins maintain species-specific barriers to fertilization, affect the outcome of sperm competition, mediate reproductive conflicts between the sexes, and potentially contribute to the formation of new species. However, the specific proteins and molecular mechanisms that underlie these processes are understood in only a handful of cases. Advances in genomic and proteomic technologies enable the identification of large suites of reproductive proteins, making it possible to dissect reproductive phenotypes at the molecular level. We first review these technological advances and describe how reproductive proteins are identified in diverse animal taxa. We then discuss the dynamic evolution of reproductive proteins and the potential selective forces that act on them. Finally, we describe molecular and genomic tools for functional analysis and detail how evolutionary data may be used to make predictions about interactions among reproductive proteins.

Role of zonadhesin during sperm–egg interaction: a species-specific acrosomal molecule with multiple functions

“…reduced compatibility between partners based on different isoforms (produced by post-translational modifications) of sperm -ZP receptors. This model is concordant with the adaptive hypothesis determining selective forces driving reproductive protein evolution (Findlay and Swanson, 2011) which involves the co-evolution of both male and female gamete proteins (Dorus et al, 2004;Clark et al, 2006;Calkins et al, 2007). Alternative splicing in human and interspecies variation may contribute to positive adaption, defined by a sperm -ZP adhesion advantage and promoting rapid evolution (Swanson and Vacquier, 2002).…”

The Evolution of Sexually Antagonistic Phenotypes

“…Despite this, there are precious few identified SA traits in females-most of which are behavioral-and fewer still where their role in antagonistic coevolution has been studied. Therefore, we continue the call for further study of female SA traits and their evolutionary dynamics (Zeh and Zeh 2003;Rowe et al 2005;Arnqvist 2006;Fricke et al 2009;Findlay and Swanson 2010;Perry and Rowe 2012a).…”

Competition Between the Sperm of a Single Male Can Increase the Evolutionary Rate of Haploid Expressed Genes

“…Therefore, it was a surprise when the first molecular evolutionary analyses on reproduction-related genes (or proteins) revealed their faster than normal evolutionary rates (see, e.g., Swanson et al 2001;Swanson and Vacquier 2002a,b). Since then, analyses of additional reproductive genes in additional species continue to support the initial observation that reproductive genes evolve more rapidly than the genomic average (e.g., Cutter and Ward 2005;Clark et al 2006Clark et al , 2009Ramm et al 2008;Turner and Hoekstra 2008;Findlay and Swanson 2010;Wong 2011). A common and particularly typical pattern for reproductive genes is a higher ratio, often denoted as d N /d S (= v), of the number of nonsynonymous nucleotide substitutions per nonsynonymous site (d N ) to the number of synonymous nucleotide substitutions per synonymous site (d S ).…”