Dean, Rebecca, Sue-ob, Kawinnat, Verspoor, Rudi, Tanianis-Hughes, Jolanta 
ORCID: 0009-0007-7135-9239, Sepil, Irem, Price, Tom AR, Hughes, Margaret, Hesketh, Stuart, Goodwin, Stephen F, Paterson, Steve ORCID: 0000-0002-1307-2981 et al (show 3 more authors)
(2026)
The seminal proteome of a monandrous fly, Drosophila subobscura
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, 293 (2072).
p. 20260345.
ISSN 0962-8452, 1471-2954
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Dean_et_al_2026_ProcB.pdf - Author Accepted Manuscript Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (1MB) | Preview |
Abstract
Abstract – When females mate with multiple males, ejaculates from different partners compete within the female reproductive tract. Males gain a competitive advantage by transferring seminal fluid proteins (Sfps) that manipulate female post-mating responses, such as reducing female propensity to remate. But in monandrous species, where females typically mate only once, post-mating sexual selection is absent, raising questions about the complexity and identity of Sfps in monandrous seminal proteomes. To address this, we characterized the seminal proteome of the monandrous fly Drosophila subobscura. Using a label-free quantitative proteomics approach, we identified 172 Sfps, comparable in number to the 153 Sfps previously reported in polyandrous Drosophila melanogaster using a similar approach. The D. subobscura seminal proteome contains all the D. melanogaster sex peptide network—proteins that control the female post-mating response—and many proteins known to be involved in post-copulatory sexual selection. We also found a surprising over-abundance of proteins previously shown to be downregulated under monogamy selection in D. melanogaster. Collectively, the patterns suggest that the D. subobscura seminal proteome is characterized more by conflict than cooperation and, despite differences in mating systems, is compositionally similar to that of D. melanogaster, with a complex proteome rich in receptivity-inhibiting Sfps.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | sexual conflict, seminal fluid proteins, monogamy, sex peptide network, mating system |
| Divisions: | Faculty of Health & Life Sciences Faculty of Health & Life Sciences > Inst. Infection, Vet & Ecological Sciences Faculty of Health & Life Sciences > Inst. Infection, Vet & Ecological Sciences > Evolution, Ecology & Behaviour Faculty of Health & Life Sciences > Inst. Infection, Vet & Ecological Sciences > Inst. Infection, Vet & Ecological Sciences (T&R Staff) |
| Depositing User: | Symplectic Admin |
| Date Deposited: | 15 Jun 2026 16:14 |
| Last Modified: | 20 Jul 2026 09:29 |
| DOI: | 10.1098/rspb.2026.0345 |
| Open Access URL: | http://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2026.0345 |
| Related Websites: | |
| URI: | https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3198937 |
| Disclaimer: | The University of Liverpool is not responsible for content contained on other websites from links within repository metadata. Please contact us if you notice anything that appears incorrect or inappropriate. |
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