Insulin signalling mediates the response to male-induced harm in female Drosophila melanogaster

نویسندگان

  • Irem Sepil
  • Pau Carazo
  • Jennifer C. Perry
  • Stuart Wigby
چکیده

Genetic manipulations in nutrient-sensing pathways are known to both extend lifespan and modify responses to environmental stressors (e.g., starvation, oxidative and thermal stresses), suggesting that similar mechanisms regulate lifespan and stress resistance. However, despite being a key factor reducing female lifespan and affecting female fitness, male-induced harm has rarely been considered as a stressor mediated by nutrient sensing pathways. We explored whether a lifespan-extending manipulation also modifies female resistance to male-induced harm. To do so, we used long-lived female Drosophila melanogaster that had their insulin signalling pathway downregulated by genetically ablating the median neurosecretory cells (mNSC). We varied the level of exposure to males for control and ablated females and tested for interacting effects on female lifespan and fitness. As expected, we found that lifespan significantly declined with exposure to males. However, mNSC-ablated females maintained significantly increased lifespan across all male exposure treatments. Furthermore, lifespan extension and relative fitness of mNSC-ablated females were maximized under intermediate exposure to males, and minimized under low and high exposure to males. Overall, our results suggest that wild-type levels of insulin signalling reduce female susceptibility to male-induced harm under intense sexual conflict, and may also protect females when mating opportunities are sub-optimally low.

برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید

ثبت نام

اگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید

منابع مشابه

Aconitase and Developmental EndPointsasEarly IndicatorsofCellularToxicity Induced by Xenobiotics in Drosophila Melanogaster

Background: In this study, the toxicity of the different xenobiotics was tested on the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster model system.  Methods: Fly larvae were raised on food supplemented with xenobioticsat different concentrations (sodium nitroprusside (0.1-1.5 mM), S-nitrosoglutathione (0.5-4 mM), and potassium ferrocyanide (1 mM)). Emergence of flies, food intake by larvae, and pupation h...

متن کامل

Female resistance to male harm evolves in response to manipulation of sexual conflict.

The interests of males and females over reproduction rarely coincide and conflicts between the sexes over mate choice, mating frequency, reproductive investment, and parental care are common in many taxa. In Drosophila melanogaster, the optimum mating frequency is higher for males than it is for females. Furthermore, females that mate at high frequencies suffer significant mating costs due to t...

متن کامل

Toxicological Evaluation of a New Lepidopteran Insecticide, Flubendiamide, in Non-Target Drosophila melanogaster Meigen (Diptera: Drosophilidae)

Background: Flubendiamide, comparatively a new pesticide designed to eradicate lepidopteran insect pests is known to have low risk to birds, mammals, fish, algae, honey bees, non-target arthropods, earthworms, soil macro- and micro-organisms, non-target plants as well as sewage treatment organisms; however, the risk assessment for aquatic invertebrates from metabolite could not be finalized wit...

متن کامل

Genetic variation in male-induced harm in Drosophila melanogaster.

In Drosophila melanogaster, prolonged exposure to males reduces the longevity and fecundity of females. This harm arises from the effects of male courtship behaviours and the toxic side effects of the accessory gland proteins (Acps) in their seminal fluids. Here, we examine the relationship between male exposure and its harmful effect on the lifetime fitness of his mates, and quantify the genet...

متن کامل

Male relatedness and familiarity are required to modulate male-induced harm to females in Drosophila

Males compete over mating and fertilization, and often harm females in the process. Inclusive fitness theory predicts that increasing relatedness within groups of males may relax competition and discourage male harm of females as males gain indirect benefits. Recent studies in Drosophila melanogaster are consistent with these predictions, and have found that within-group male relatedness increa...

متن کامل

ذخیره در منابع من


  با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید

برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید

ثبت نام

اگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید

عنوان ژورنال:

دوره 6  شماره 

صفحات  -

تاریخ انتشار 2016