Genetic evidence that ovulation reduces sexual receptivity inDrosophila melanogaster females |
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Authors: | Yoshiaki Fuyama |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Biology, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Minami-Ohsawa 1-1, 192-03 Hachioji-Shi, Tokyo, Japan |
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Abstract: | Drosophila females start ovulation shortly after mating, and at the same time they become unreceptive to courting males. Both physiological
changes are induced by the “sexpeptide” derived from the male accessory glands. It is conceivable, therefore, that the first
effect of the peptide is to induce ovulation, and some signal derived from ovulated eggs makes females unreceptive. To test
this hypothesis, I examined the mating receptivity of virginD. melanogaster females homozygous forlozenge mutants that showed a high-frequency spontaneous ovulation. These females were reluctant to mate. However, when mature eggs
were genetically deprived using nonallelic female sterile mutants, their receptivity increased significantly, although mating
speed was still slower than that of normal virgin females. Essentially the same was found with the females that were ectopically
expressing the sex-peptide gene. The results indicate that ovulation induced by the sex-peptide has an effect of reducing
the sexual receptivity of mated females. |
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Keywords: | Sex-peptide Drosophila melanogaster lozenge mutant ovulation remating suppression |
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