ArticlePLoS genetics2014
Evolutionary rate covariation identifies new members of a protein network required for Drosophila melanogaster female post-mating responses.
Article in PLoS genetics, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 120 papers.
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120 citing papers in PubMed, 185 citations in OpenAlex.
- Abdominal-B regulates the male seminal fluid transferome and new fecundity factors required for sperm sex peptide binding.PLoS genetics · 2026Article
- Evolutionary Rate Covariation Across Malaria Parasite Species Enables Inference of Protein Interactions.Genome biology and evolution · 2026Article
- A novel female reproductive organ differentiates insemination and postmating responses in bedbugs.Molecular biology and evolution · 2026Article
- Evolutionary analysis of transcription elongation factors reveals conserved and lineage-specific regulatory domains.PLoS biology · 2026Article
- Phylogenomic Insights into High Conservation and Lineage-Specific Expansion of the ABAPT Gene Family in Plants.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Evolution of the reproductive interactome and the origins of postmating-prezygotic reproductive divergence.BMC biology · 2026Article
- Correlated Evolutionary Rates Reveal Novel Components and Cross-Compartment Connectivity in Plant Proteostasis Systems.Genome biology and evolution · 2026Article
- Evolutionary rate covariation across malaria parasite species enables inference of protein interactions.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Correlated Gene Copy Number Changes in a Seminal Fluid Protein Network inbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Gene age shapes functional and evolutionary properties of theProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Female membrane proteins regulate postmating ovulation inProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- ERC2.0 evolutionary rate covariation update improves inference of functional interactions across large phylogenies.Genome research · 2025Article
- Mating system variation and gene expression in the male reproductive tract of Peromyscus mice.Molecular ecology · 2025Article
- An orphan gene is essential for efficient sperm entry into eggs in Drosophila melanogaster.Genetics · 2025Article
- ERC 2.0 - evolutionary rate covariation update improves inference of functional interactions across large phylogenies.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- An orphan gene is essential for efficient sperm entry into eggs inbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2024Article
- Mitonuclear compatibility is maintained despite relaxed selection on male mitochondrial DNA in bivalves with doubly uniparental inheritance.Evolution; international journal of organic evolution · 2024Article
- Novel Sex-Specific Genes and Diverse Interspecific Expression in the Antennal Transcriptomes of Ithomiine Butterflies.Genome biology and evolution · 2024Article
- Evolutionary rate covariation is pervasive between glycosylation pathways and points to potential disease modifiers.PLoS genetics · 2024Article
- Comparative Genomic Analysis of the Pattern of Evolution of Male and Female Reproductive Proteins in Seed Beetles.Genome biology and evolution · 2024Article
60 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Seminal fluid proteins transferred from males to females during copulation are required for full fertility and can exert dramatic effects on female physiology and behavior. In Drosophila melanogaster, the seminal protein sex peptide (SP) affects mated females by increasing egg production and decreasing receptivity to courtship. These behavioral changes persist for several days because SP binds to sperm that are stored in the female. SP is then gradually released, allowing it to interact with its female-expressed receptor. The binding of SP to sperm requires five additional seminal proteins, which act together in a network. Hundreds of uncharacterized male and female proteins have been identified in this species, but individually screening each protein for network function would present a logistical challenge. To prioritize the screening of these proteins for involvement in the SP network, we used a comparative genomic method to identify candidate proteins whose evolutionary rates across the Drosophila phylogeny co-vary with those of the SP network proteins. Subsequent functional testing of 18 co-varying candidates by RNA interference identified three male seminal proteins and three female reproductive tract proteins that are each required for the long-term persistence of SP responses in females. Molecular genetic analysis showed the three new male proteins are required for the transfer of other network proteins to females and for SP to become bound to sperm that are stored in mated females. The three female proteins, in contrast, act downstream of SP binding and sperm storage. These findings expand the number of seminal proteins required for SP's actions in the female and show that multiple female proteins are necessary for the SP response. Furthermore, our functional analyses demonstrate that evolutionary rate covariation is a valuable predictive tool for identifying candidate members of interacting protein networks.
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