Publication details
Different regulation of gametogenesis and fertilization pathways between gynogenetic and sexual females of gibel carp (Carassius gibelio) sheds light on the molecular mechanisms of the stable coexistence of asexual and sexual reproduction
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| Year of publication | 2023 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | JACQUES, Florian Gabriel, Tomáš TICHOPÁD, Lukáš VETEŠNÍK and Andrea VETEŠNÍKOVÁ ŠIMKOVÁ. Different regulation of gametogenesis and fertilization pathways between gynogenetic and sexual females of gibel carp (Carassius gibelio) sheds light on the molecular mechanisms of the stable coexistence of asexual and sexual reproduction. In XVII European Congress of Ichthyology 2023: 4th - 8th September 2023, Prague. 2023. |
| Description | Gibel carp (Carassius gibelio, considered also as a member of the C. auratus species complex) is a cyprinid fish that originated from eastern Eurasia and became invasive in European freshwater ecosystems during the 20th century. The populations of gibel carp mostly consist of triploid females that reproduce using gynogenesis (i.e., sperm dependent parthenogenesis) and sexually reproducing diploid females. They also include sexual diploid males and rare triploid males. The first populations of gibel carp included only triploid gynogenetic females, and the sexual forms evolved later. Such cases of coexistence between sexual and asexual forms have been reported in several plants and animals, but the genetic mechanisms maintaining the coexistence of sexual and asexual forms are still poorly understood. It is acknowledged that both reproduction modes exhibit some evolutionary and ecological advantages and disadvantages. To better understand the stable coexistence of asexual and sexual forms in gibel carp, we studied the molecular mechanisms associated with reproduction in sexual and asexual females. We employed high-throughput RNA sequencing to generate transcriptomic profiles of gonadal tissues in triploid gynogenetic females, diploid sexual males and females of gibel carp, as well as diploid individuals from two closely related species, C. auratusand Cyprinus carpio. Using transcriptomic profile analyses, we have demonstrated that 1500 genes, including 200 genes involved in cell cycle control, gametogenesis and fertilization, such as cyclins, Spo11, Bucky ball, and members of the Calmodulin and Zona pellucida families, are downregulated in the gonadal tissues of gynogenetic females. We suggest that the overall downregulation of reproduction pathways in asexual females, and their maintenance in sexual ones allow for the stable coexistence of both forms, integrating the ecological advantages and disadvantages of the two forms for reproduction. |
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