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Drosophila melanogaster sex peptide regulates mated female midgut morphology and physiology
- Source :
- Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
- Publication Year :
- 2020
- Publisher :
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2020.
-
Abstract
- Drosophila melanogaster females experience a large shift in energy homeostasis after mating to compensate for nutrient investment in egg production. To cope with this change in metabolism, mated females undergo widespread physiological and behavioral changes, including increased food intake and altered digestive processes. The mechanisms by which the female digestive system responds to mating remain poorly characterized. Here, we demonstrate that the seminal fluid protein Sex Peptide (SP) is a key modulator of female post-mating midgut growth and gene expression. SP is both necessary and sufficient to trigger post-mating midgut growth in females under normal nutrient conditions, and likely acting via its receptor, Sex Peptide Receptor (SPR). Moreover, SP is responsible for almost the totality of midgut transcriptomic changes following mating, including up-regulation of protein and lipid metabolism genes and down-regulation of carbohydrate metabolism genes. These changes in metabolism may help supply the female with the nutrients required to sustain egg production. Thus, we report a role for SP in altering female physiology to enhance reproductive output: Namely, SP triggers the switch from virgin to mated midgut state.
- Subjects :
- 0303 health sciences
Multidisciplinary
biology
Physiology
Midgut
Lipid metabolism
Biological Sciences
Carbohydrate metabolism
biology.organism_classification
Energy homeostasis
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
Gene expression
Drosophila melanogaster
Mating
Receptor
reproductive and urinary physiology
030217 neurology & neurosurgery
030304 developmental biology
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 10916490 and 00278424
- Volume :
- 118
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....a7f29208678a3a60360f7cc48f08c242