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Assessing Differences in Sperm Competitive Ability in Drosophila
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Sexual selection and pseudogenization in primate fertilization.

Jolie A Carlisle1, Andrew L Bickell2, Michael W Hart2

  • 1Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA.

Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution
|June 5, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The ZP3R gene, crucial for sperm-egg binding, has been lost in some primates. Its pseudogenization correlates with reduced sexual selection in males, suggesting evolutionary trade-offs in reproduction.

Keywords:
infertilitymating systemneofunctionalizationsexual conflictspeciation

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Area of Science:

  • Reproductive biology
  • Evolutionary genetics
  • Primate evolution

Background:

  • The ZP3R gene is vital for species-specific sperm-egg adhesion.
  • Understanding ZP3R evolution impacts studies on speciation, reproductive success, and infertility.
  • Previous research identified human C4BPAP1 as the ZP3R ortholog and noted independent ZP3R pseudogenization in primates.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the causes of ZP3R pseudogenization in primates.
  • To explore the potential role of changes in sexual selection on males as a cause for ZP3R loss.
  • To determine the relationship between ZP3R functional status and male sexual selection traits.

Main Methods:

  • Searched recently published primate genomes for ZP3R pseudogenes.
  • Compared sexually selected male traits (body size, canine size, testes size) between primate lineages with and without functional ZP3R.
  • Analyzed evolutionary pressures on ZP3R genes.

Main Results:

  • Identified ZP3R pseudogenes in several primate lineages.
  • Found that functional ZP3R expression is associated with traits indicating intense sexual selection in males.
  • Observed that lineages with relaxed sexual selection showed a higher incidence of ZP3R pseudogenization.

Conclusions:

  • A relaxation of sexual selection on males may be linked to ZP3R pseudogenization.
  • The findings suggest an evolutionary cost associated with maintaining redundant fertilization genes.
  • This research provides insights into the interplay between sexual selection and the evolution of reproductive genes.