Gamete recognition proteins in the light of comparative genomics.

CAMPOS, MARÍA CLARA; PISCIOTTANO, FRANCISCO; BRUQUE, DAVID; SARAGÜETA, PATRICIA

Mar del Plata

Congreso; SAIC; 2022

SAIC

The mammalian fertilization process has been extensively describedby both physiology and molecular biology. Gamete recognition proteins(GRP) such as members of the Zona Pellucida protein family(ZP) and IZUMO1-JUNO pair play a key role in this process, facilitatingthe interaction and fusion between the oocyte and the sperm, respectively.The interactions between oocyte and sperm counterpartsmay constitute a prezygotic reproductive isolation mechanism. Thestory of protein evolution has greatly changed with the large numberof genomes reported as their sequencing advanced. We have improvedthe phylogeny of gamete interaction proteins using chromosome-resolved genome assembled by Hi-C long-range sequencing.As we reported before, ZP3 and ZP2, gamete interaction ZP proteins,display a similar pattern of evolution along their phylogeniesshowing adaptive changes in the canids subtree but not among felidspecies. On the other hand, structural cross-linker ZP1 and ZP4 displaya different evolutionary history, showing signatures of positiveselection inside felids subtree and, the fusion protein IZUMO1R didnot show positive selection among all studied phylogenetic groups.Moreover, we showed that conservation of all carnivora gameteinteraction proteins was significantly higher in felids compared tocanids (p-value < 0.05), except for the case of ZP4. Here we extendour analysis to sperm surface proteins involved in gamete intraction.In order to reveal the evolutionary history of sperm GRP in carnivoresand bring light to the process of coevolution with their oocyteconterparts we analysed IZUMO1, ZP3r, PKDREJ, SLLP1. The resultswill be useful to undestand the molecular basis of the lack ofprecygotic reproductive isolation mechanisms in felids and comparethem to canids, its sister group. In addition, they will allow us delveinto the coevolution process between sperm and oocyte GRP.