Digestive organ in the female reproductive tract borrows genes from multiple organ systems to adopt critical functions.

ABSTRACT: Persistent adaptive challenges are often met with the evolution of novel physiological traits. Although there are specific examples of single genes providing new physiological functions, studies on the origin of complex organ functions are lacking. One such derived set of complex functions is found in the Lepidopteran bursa copulatrix, an organ within the female reproductive tract that digests nutrients from the male ejaculate or spermatophore. Here, we characterized bursa physiology and the evolutionary mechanisms by which it was equipped with digestive and absorptive functionality. By studying the transcriptome of the bursa and eight other tissues, we revealed a suite of highly expressed and secreted gene products providing the bursa with a combination of stomach-like traits for mechanic

SUBMITTER: Meslin C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4572785 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature