Profiling sex-biased gene expression during parthenogenetic reproduction in Daphnia pulex.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Sexual reproduction is a core biological function that is conserved throughout eukaryotic evolution, yet breeding systems are extremely variable. Genome-wide comparative studies can be effectively used to identify genes and regulatory patterns that are constrained to preserve core functions from those that may help to account for the diversity of animal reproductive strategies. We use a custom microarray to investigate gene expression in males and two reproductive stages of females in the crustacean Daphnia pulex. Most Daphnia species reproduce by cyclical parthenogenesis, alternating between sexual and clonal reproduction. Both sex determination and the switch in their mode of reproduction is environmentally induced, making Daphnia an interesting comparative system for

SUBMITTER: Eads BD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2245944 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature