For many years it was thought that the female reproductive tract was a sterile environment, devoid of immune cells or pathogens. We now know that the immune system represents an important component of reproductive tissues, influencing many of its biological functions. Similarly, bacteria are present within the female reproductive tract as a normal component. Therefore, the female reproductive t...

Caprine arthritis encephalitis is a worldwide, multisystemic disease caused by a small ruminant lentivirus. Although the main route of transmission is oral, detection of proviral DNA of the caprine arthritis encephalitis virus (CAEV) in caprine semen has been previously described. However, the presence of viral antigens in the male reproductive tract has apparently never been reported. The obje...

We compared male-reproductive-tract polypeptides of Drosophila melanogaster and D. simulans by using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Approximately 64% of male-reproductive-tract polypeptides were identical between two randomly chosen isofemale lines from these two species, compared with 83% identity for third-instar imaginal wing-disc polypeptides. Qualitatively similar differences were fo...

Reproductive tract malformations are rare in general population but are commonly encountered in women with infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss. Obstructive anomalies present around menarche causing extreme pain and adversely affecting the life of the young women. The clinical signs, symptoms and reproductive problems depend on the anatomic distortions, which may range from congenital absen...

Postcopulatory sexual selection is thought to drive the rapid evolution of reproductive tract genes in many animals. Recently, a number of studies have sought to test this hypothesis by examining the effects of mating system variation on the evolutionary rates of reproductive tract genes. Perhaps surprisingly, there is relatively little evidence that reproductive proteins evolve more rapidly in...

In angiosperms, sexual reproduction requires a sperm cell, contained within a pollen tube, to fertilize the egg cell. The pollen tubes are capable of growth but have a difficult journey, as egg cells are buried within the ovary of the carpel. Several tissues, known collectively as the reproductive tract, develop within the carpel to facilitate the journey of the pollen tube. The genes involved ...