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A targeted in situ hybridization screen identifies putative seminal fluid proteins in a simultaneously hermaphroditic flatworm

Overview of attention for article published in BMC Ecology and Evolution, May 2018
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  • Above-average Attention Score compared to outputs of the same age (63rd percentile)

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Title
A targeted in situ hybridization screen identifies putative seminal fluid proteins in a simultaneously hermaphroditic flatworm
Published in
BMC Ecology and Evolution, May 2018
DOI 10.1186/s12862-018-1187-0
Pubmed ID
Authors

Michael Weber, Julia Wunderer, Birgit Lengerer, Robert Pjeta, Marcelo Rodrigues, Lukas Schärer, Peter Ladurner, Steven A. Ramm

Abstract

Along with sperm, in many taxa ejaculates also contain large numbers of seminal fluid proteins (SFPs). SFPs and sperm are transferred to the mating partner, where they are thought to play key roles in mediating post-mating sexual selection. They modulate the partner's behavior and physiology in ways that influence the reproductive success of both partners, thus potentially leading to sexual conflict. Despite the presumed general functional and evolutionary significance of SFPs, their identification and characterization has to date focused on just a few animal groups, predominantly insects and mammals. Moreover, until now seminal fluid profiling has mainly focused on species with separate sexes. Here we report a comprehensive screen for putative SFPs in the simultaneously hermaphroditic flatworm Macrostomum lignano. Based on existing transcriptomic data, we selected 150 transcripts known to be (a) predominantly expressed in the tail region of the worms, where the seminal fluid-producing prostate gland cells are located, and (b) differentially expressed in social environments differing in sperm competition level, strongly implying that they represent a phenotypically plastic aspect of male reproductive allocation in this species. For these SFP candidates, we then performed whole-mount in situ hybridization (ISH) experiments to characterize tissue-specific expression. In total, we identified 98 transcripts that exhibited prostate-specific expression, 76 of which we found to be expressed exclusively in the prostate gland cells; additional sites of expression for the remaining 22 included the testis or other gland cells. Bioinformatics analyses of the prostate-limited candidates revealed that at least 64 are predicted to be secretory proteins, making these especially strong candidates to be SFPs that are transferred during copulation. Our study represents a first comprehensive analysis using a combination of transcriptomic and ISH screen data to identify SFPs based on transcript expression in seminal fluid-producing tissues. We thereby extend the range of taxa for which seminal fluid has been characterized to a flatworm species with a sequenced genome and for which several methods such as antibody staining, transgenesis and RNA interference have been established. Our data provide a basis for testing the functional and evolutionary significance of SFPs.

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The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 6 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Mendeley readers

Mendeley readers

The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 27 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.

Geographical breakdown

Country Count As %
Unknown 27 100%

Demographic breakdown

Readers by professional status Count As %
Student > Ph. D. Student 5 19%
Researcher 5 19%
Student > Bachelor 3 11%
Other 2 7%
Student > Master 2 7%
Other 2 7%
Unknown 8 30%
Readers by discipline Count As %
Agricultural and Biological Sciences 8 30%
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology 4 15%
Medicine and Dentistry 2 7%
Nursing and Health Professions 1 4%
Unspecified 1 4%
Other 2 7%
Unknown 9 33%
Attention Score in Context

Attention Score in Context

This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 4. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 13 December 2019.
All research outputs
#7,786,691
of 25,394,764 outputs
Outputs from BMC Ecology and Evolution
#1,778
of 3,714 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#125,338
of 344,352 outputs
Outputs of similar age from BMC Ecology and Evolution
#43
of 59 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 25,394,764 research outputs across all sources so far. This one has received more attention than most of these and is in the 69th percentile.
So far Altmetric has tracked 3,714 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a lot more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 12.5. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 51% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 344,352 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 63% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 59 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one is in the 27th percentile – i.e., 27% of its contemporaries scored the same or lower than it.