Ovulation in Drosophila is controlled by secretory cells of the female reproductive tract

How oocytes are transferred into an oviduct with a receptive environment remains poorly known. We found that glands of the Drosophila female reproductive tract, spermathecae and/or parovaria, are required for ovulation and to promote sperm storage. Reducing total secretory cell number by interferrin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:eLife 2013-04, Vol.2, p.e00415-e00415
Main Authors: Sun, Jianjun, Spradling, Allan C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal reproduction
Animals
Animals, Genetically Modified
Cell Biology
Cell number
Confidence intervals
Developmental Biology and Stem Cells
DNA-Binding Proteins - genetics
DNA-Binding Proteins - metabolism
Drosophila
Drosophila melanogaster - cytology
Drosophila melanogaster - genetics
Drosophila melanogaster - metabolism
Drosophila melanogaster - physiology
Drosophila Proteins - genetics
Drosophila Proteins - metabolism
Eclosion
Eggs
exocrine gland
Experiments
Female
Females
Gene Expression Regulation
Glands
Insects
Male
Mutation
Notch protein
Notch signaling
Nuclear Proteins - genetics
Nuclear Proteins - metabolism
nuclear receptor
Oocytes
Oocytes - metabolism
Oocytes - physiology
Ovarian cancer
Oviduct
Oviducts - cytology
Oviducts - metabolism
Ovulation
Receptors, Notch - genetics
Receptors, Notch - metabolism
Receptors, Steroid - genetics
Receptors, Steroid - metabolism
Reproductive system
Secretions
Signal Transduction
Sperm
sperm storage
Spermatozoa - physiology
Transcription Factors - genetics
Transcription Factors - metabolism
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Summary:How oocytes are transferred into an oviduct with a receptive environment remains poorly known. We found that glands of the Drosophila female reproductive tract, spermathecae and/or parovaria, are required for ovulation and to promote sperm storage. Reducing total secretory cell number by interferring with Notch signaling during development blocked ovulation. Knocking down expression after adult eclosion of the nuclear hormone receptor Hr39, a master regulator of gland development, slowed ovulation and blocked sperm storage. However, ovulation (but not sperm storage) continued when only canonical protein secretion was compromised in adult glands. Our results imply that proteins secreted during adulthood by the canonical secretory pathway from female reproductive glands are needed to store sperm, while a non-canonical glandular secretion stimulates ovulation. Our results suggest that the reproductive tract signals to the ovary using glandular secretions, and that this pathway has been conserved during evolution. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.00415.001.
ISSN:2050-084X
2050-084X
DOI:10.7554/eLife.00415