Transglutaminase-Mediated Semen Coagulation Controls Sperm Storage in the Malaria Mosquito

Abstract

The mating plug is a key regulator of mosquito fertility.

Sexual transfer of the steroid hormone 20E induces the postmating switch in Anopheles gambiae

“…These results suggest that male-transferred 20E reduces the female's receptivity to further copulation and that females that receive full titers of 20E become physically incapacitated to reinsemination, because in our experimental settings possible behavioral components were removed by using forced copulations. Following natural copulations, loss of mating receptivity occurs gradually over time, with full refractoriness observed 1-2 d after mating and persisting for the female's lifetime (6,36). In agreement with the results obtained using 20E-impaired males, 20E injections into the thorax of virgin females mimicked the mating effects, inducing a striking and long-lasting refractoriness to copulation in a time-and dose-dependent manner (Fig.…”

“…Because 20E regulates male sexual behavior in other insects (23), the use of forced mating allowed us to exclude possible confounding effects caused by reduced male mating competitiveness: In this protocol the female is anesthetized before insemination and therefore cannot select a mating partner or avoid copulation (35). Two days after this initial copulation, females again were force-mated, but this time to males with normal 20E levels, and the atrium was analyzed for the presence of a mating plug, indicative of successful copulation (6). Control females (initially mated to control males injected with dsGFP and BSA) showed a low remating frequency (9%) despite being exposed to a second forceful mating event.…”

“…gambiae mating plug contains the steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) (16,17) in addition to proteins and peptides (6,7). 20E is the major…”

Genetic and phenotypic influences on copulatory plug survival in mice

“…Copulatory plugs are a prominent feature in many internally fertilizing organisms, including nematodes (Barker, 1994;Palopoli et al, 2008), insects (Rogers et al, 2009), reptiles (Devine, 1975(Devine, , 1977Moreira and Birkhead, 2004), rodents (Voss, 1979;Dewsbury, 1984) and primates (Hartung and Dewsbury, 1978;Dixson and Anderson, 2002). Comparative studies suggest plugs evolved in the context of sperm competition, as a means for males to inhibit remating by females.…”

“…A large body of data suggest that plugs evolved to impede remating by females (Mosig and Dewsbury, 1970;Martan and Shepherd, 1976;Hartung and Dewsbury, 1978;Voss, 1979), although additional plug functions may include ejaculate transport through the female's reproductive tract (Blandau, 1945a,b,;Matthews and Adler, 1978;Toner et al, 1987;Carballada and Esponda, 1992;Rogers et al, 2009), stimulation required for proper implantation and pregnancy (Ball, 1934;Dean, 2013) and slow release of sperm (Asdell, 1946).…”