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Main Authors: Bagdonaitė, Laima, Mauvisseau, Quentin, Johnsen, Arild, Lifjeld, Jan T, Leder, Erica H
Format: Artículo científico
Language:en
Published: Ecology and evolution 2025
Online Access:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40027421/
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author Bagdonaitė, Laima
Mauvisseau, Quentin
Johnsen, Arild
Lifjeld, Jan T
Leder, Erica H
author_facet Bagdonaitė, Laima
Mauvisseau, Quentin
Johnsen, Arild
Lifjeld, Jan T
Leder, Erica H
Bagdonaitė, Laima
Mauvisseau, Quentin
Johnsen, Arild
Lifjeld, Jan T
Leder, Erica H
collection PubMed - marine biology
contents Sperm mtDNA Copy Number Is Not Associated With Midpiece Size Among Songbirds. Bagdonaitė, Laima Mauvisseau, Quentin Johnsen, Arild Lifjeld, Jan T Leder, Erica H Tremendous variation in sperm morphology is observed across the animal kingdom. Within avian taxa, the songbirds (infraorder Passerides) have the largest variation in sperm morphology. Their spermatozoa move by using energy generated in the midpiece, which is formed by multiple mitochondria fusing together during spermatogenesis. However, very little is known regarding the number of mitochondria required to form the songbird midpiece. Based on previous research showing an association of midpiece length and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number in the zebra finch , we hypothesize that songbird species with longer sperm midpieces have more copies of mtDNA. We estimated the sperm mtDNA copy number in 19 species from 10 families within Passerides, covering a broad range of midpiece sizes. Mitochondrial and nuclear DNA abundance were determined using droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) and the ratio between mitochondrial and single-copy nuclear genes was used to estimate mtDNA copy number per spermatozoon. We found that species differ in their average mtDNA copy number, but the variation was small and not significantly related to midpiece length. A possible explanation is that mitochondrial genomes are eliminated in the spermatids during spermatogenesis.
format Artículo científico
id pubmed_40027421
institution PubMed
language en
publishDate 2025
publisher Ecology and evolution
record_format pubmed
spellingShingle Sperm mtDNA Copy Number Is Not Associated With Midpiece Size Among Songbirds.
Bagdonaitė, Laima
Mauvisseau, Quentin
Johnsen, Arild
Lifjeld, Jan T
Leder, Erica H
Sperm mtDNA Copy Number Is Not Associated With Midpiece Size Among Songbirds. Bagdonaitė, Laima Mauvisseau, Quentin Johnsen, Arild Lifjeld, Jan T Leder, Erica H Tremendous variation in sperm morphology is observed across the animal kingdom. Within avian taxa, the songbirds (infraorder Passerides) have the largest variation in sperm morphology. Their spermatozoa move by using energy generated in the midpiece, which is formed by multiple mitochondria fusing together during spermatogenesis. However, very little is known regarding the number of mitochondria required to form the songbird midpiece. Based on previous research showing an association of midpiece length and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number in the zebra finch , we hypothesize that songbird species with longer sperm midpieces have more copies of mtDNA. We estimated the sperm mtDNA copy number in 19 species from 10 families within Passerides, covering a broad range of midpiece sizes. Mitochondrial and nuclear DNA abundance were determined using droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) and the ratio between mitochondrial and single-copy nuclear genes was used to estimate mtDNA copy number per spermatozoon. We found that species differ in their average mtDNA copy number, but the variation was small and not significantly related to midpiece length. A possible explanation is that mitochondrial genomes are eliminated in the spermatids during spermatogenesis.
title Sperm mtDNA Copy Number Is Not Associated With Midpiece Size Among Songbirds.
url https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40027421/