Paternal diet affects differential gene expression, but not sperm competition, in sons
Felix Zajitschek1,2, Susanne Zajitschek1,2,3, Mollie Manier4
1Department of Biological Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.
Biology Letters
|February 17, 2017
Summary
Paternal diet impacts offspring. Fathers fed high-protein diets sired sons with improved sperm competition success, indicating transgenerational effects on sexual selection and gene expression.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Genetics
- Reproductive science
Background:
- Parental environment significantly influences offspring phenotype.
- Paternal effects, especially without direct parental care, are understudied.
- Understanding transgenerational effects is crucial for evolutionary and reproductive biology.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the impact of paternal larval diet protein content on offspring paternity success.
- Analyze the effects of paternal diet on offspring gene expression, particularly in sons.
- Determine if postcopulatory sexual selection is influenced by transgenerational paternal effects.
Main Methods:
- Males were reared on diets with varying protein content.
- Offspring (sons) paternity success was assessed, including during sperm competition.
- Gene expression analysis was performed on sons to identify changes in specific biological pathways.
Main Results:
- Males from high-protein diets produced sons with enhanced performance in sperm competition.
- Sons of fathers on low-protein diets exhibited downregulated immune response genes.
- Genes related to metabolic and reproductive processes were upregulated in sons of fathers on low-protein diets.
Conclusions:
- Paternal diet can mediate transgenerational effects on offspring fitness and sexual selection.
- Nutritional programming via paternal lineage influences offspring gene expression, affecting immunity and reproduction.
- This study highlights the importance of paternal nutritional history in shaping offspring traits beyond direct care.
Keywords:
RNAseqgene expressionparental effectspostcopulatory sexual selectiontranscriptomicstransgenerational effectsMore Related Videos
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