Drosophila melanogaster sperm turn more oxidative in the female

Publikation: Beitrag in FachzeitschriftForschungsartikelBeigetragenBegutachtung

Beitragende

Abstract

Males and females of many species store sperm for extended periods. During storage, sperm are predicted to undergo cellular and functional changes, especially towards glycolytic energy metabolism because oxygen radicals derived from oxidative phosphorylation can affect sperm motility and fertilisation ability. However, not all species can use both major energy metabolism pathways. Here, we examined the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster and asked whether sperm metabolism can be fuelled by both glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation, and to what extent metabolism changes during storage. Inhibiting glycolysis in vitro led to a more oxidative state of sperm; inhibiting oxidative phosphorylation increased the glycolytic component, assessed by multi-photon autofluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) of NAD(P)H. We further examined sperm in male and female sperm storage organs using FLIM of NAD(P)H and FAD. In intact storage organs, we found that, unexpectedly, (i) sperm were more oxidative in females than in males, and (ii) oxidative phosphorylation increased with storage duration in females. Our observation that the relative contribution of the two major energy metabolic pathways in D. melanogaster sperm differs in males and females and over storage time has important evolutionary implications.

Details

OriginalspracheEnglisch
Aufsatznummerjeb247775
FachzeitschriftJournal of Experimental Biology
Jahrgang227
Ausgabenummer15
PublikationsstatusVeröffentlicht - Aug. 2024
Peer-Review-StatusJa

Externe IDs

Scopus 85201029276

Schlagworte