| Title: | Side-by-side secretion of Late Palaeozoic diverged courtship pheromones in an aquatic salamander |
| Author(s): | Van Bocxlaer I; Treer D; Maex M; Vandebergh W; Janssenswillen S; Stegen G; Kok P; Willaert B; Matthijs S; Martens E; Mortier A; de Greve H; Proost P; Bossuyt F; |
| Address: | "Amphibian Evolution Laboratory, Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium. Laboratory of Immunobiology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rega Institute, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (K.U. Leuven), Minderbroedersstraat 10-Box 1030, 3000 Leuven, Belgium. Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rega Institute, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (K.U. Leuven), Minderbroedersstraat 10-Box 1030, 3000 Leuven, Belgium. Structural and Molecular Microbiology, Structural Biology Research Centre, VIB, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium Structural Biology Brussels, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium. Amphibian Evolution Laboratory, Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium fbossuyt@vub.ac.be" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1471-2954 (Electronic) 0962-8452 (Print) 0962-8452 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Males of the advanced salamanders (Salamandroidea) attain internal fertilization without a copulatory organ by depositing a spermatophore on the substrate in the environment, which females subsequently take up with their cloaca. The aquatically reproducing modern Eurasian newts (Salamandridae) have taken this to extremes, because most species do not display close physical contact during courtship, but instead largely rely on females following the male track at spermatophore deposition. Although pheromones have been widely assumed to represent an important aspect of male courtship, molecules able to induce the female following behaviour that is the prelude for successful insemination have not yet been identified. Here, we show that uncleaved sodefrin precursor-like factor (SPF) protein pheromones are sufficient to elicit such behaviour in female palmate newts (Lissotriton helveticus). Combined transcriptomic and proteomic evidence shows that males simultaneously tail-fan multiple ca 20 kDa glycosylated SPF proteins during courtship. Notably, molecular dating estimates show that the diversification of these proteins already started in the late Palaeozoic, about 300 million years ago. Our study thus not only extends the use of uncleaved SPF proteins outside terrestrially reproducing plethodontid salamanders, but also reveals one of the oldest vertebrate pheromone systems" |
| Keywords: | "Amino Acid Sequence Amphibian Proteins/genetics/*metabolism Animals Base Sequence Courtship Female Male Molecular Sequence Data Phylogeny Proteome Sex Attractants/genetics/*metabolism Sexual Behavior, Animal Species Specificity Transcriptome Urodela/genet;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineVan Bocxlaer, Ines Treer, Dag Maex, Margo Vandebergh, Wim Janssenswillen, Sunita Stegen, Gwij Kok, Philippe Willaert, Bert Matthijs, Severine Martens, Erik Mortier, Anneleen de Greve, Henri Proost, Paul Bossuyt, Franky eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2015/02/20 Proc Biol Sci. 2015 Mar 22; 282(1803):20142960. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2014.2960" |
