Genes, Vol. 12, Pages 1450: Variation and Selection in the Putative Sperm-Binding Region of ZP3 in Muroid Rodents: A Comparison between Cricetids and Murines

Genes, Vol. 12, Pages 1450: Variation and Selection in the Putative Sperm-Binding Region of ZP3 in Muroid Rodents: A Comparison between Cricetids and Murines
Genes doi: 10.3390/genes12091450
Authors:
Margarida Alexandra Duarte
Carlos Rodríguez Fernandes
Gerald Heckel
Maria da Luz Mathias
Cristiane Bastos-Silveira

In mammals, the zona pellucida glycoprotein 3 (ZP3) is considered a primary sperm receptor of the oocyte and is hypothesized to be involved in reproductive isolation. We investigated patterns of diversity and selection in the putative sperm-binding region (pSBR) of mouse ZP3 across Cricetidae and Murinae, two hyperdiverse taxonomic groups within muroid rodents. In murines, the pSBR is fairly conserved, in particular the serine-rich stretch containing the glycosylation sites proposed as essential for sperm binding. In contrast, cricetid amino acid sequences of the pSBR were much more variable and the serine-rich motif, typical of murines, was generally substantially modified. Overall, our results suggest a general lack of species specificity of the pSBR across the two muroid families. We document statistical evidence of positive selection acting on exons 6 and 7 of ZP3 and identified several amino acid sites that are likely targets of selection, with most positively selected sites falling within or adjacent to the pSBR.

Source: Genes - September 20, 2021 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Margarida Alexandra Duarte Carlos Rodr íguez Fernandes Gerald Heckel Maria da Luz Mathias Cristiane Bastos-Silveira Tags: Article Source Type: research