Identification and functional analysis of Drosophila melanogaster EBP protein in spermatogenesis
The ejaculatory bulb protein(EBP)produced by ejaculatory duct is the major component of seminal fluid in Drosophila melanogaster;however,its molecular mechanism and role in the development of other tissue are still largely unknown.In this paper,we analyzed the expression profile of Drosophila Ebp and EbpⅡ in different developmental stages and in the testis and ovary of adult flies by qRT-PCR.The results showed that the expression of Ebp and EbpⅡ transcripts was significantly higher in adult flies than in any other developmental stages,and both Ebp and EbpⅡ mRNAs were expressed in the testis while their mRNA levels in the ovary were extremely low.Bioinformatics analysis showed that EBP and EBP Ⅱproteins do not contain any known functional domains except a few low complex regions,and the physical and chemical characteristics between EBP and EBPⅡ were different.When the expression of Ebp was knocked down by the spermatogonia specific Gal4 driver,the number of mature sperm in the seminal vesicle was significantly decreased compared to the control,while no apparent difference in the phenotype of testis was observed when EbpⅡ was knocked down by RNAi.The results of TUNEL assay showed that several sperm bundles died when the expression of Ebp was knocked down by the spermatogonia and germ stem cell specific Gal4 drivers.Our results suggest that Ebp gene might participate in the spermatogenesis and contribute to maintain survival of sperm in Drosophila.
万方数据
维普
