Sponsor
This study is supported by the University of California San Diego, Division of Extended Studies in partnership with The Inamori Foundation and Girard Foundation as part of the development and implementation of “Futures” Life Sciences Student Research Immersion Program at the Boz Life Science Research and Teaching Institute.
Published In
Molecular Neurobiology
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-1-2025
Subjects
Brain -- Transcriptome, Sexual dimorphism -- Genomics
Abstract
Many species, including fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster), are sexually dimorphic. Phenotypic variation in morphology, physiology, and behavior can affect development, reproduction, health, and aging. Therefore, designating sex as a variable and sex-blocking should be considered when designing experiments. The brain regulates phenotypes throughout the lifespan by balancing survival and reproduction, and sex-specific development at each life stage is likely. Changes in morphology and physiology are governed by differential gene expression, a quantifiable molecular marker for age- and sex-specific variations. We assessed the fruit fly brain transcriptome at three adult ages for gene expression signatures of sex, age, and sex-by-age: 6698 genes were differentially expressed between sexes, with the most divergence at 3 days. Between ages, 31.1% of 6084 differentially expressed genes (1890 genes) share similar expression patterns from 3 to 7 days in females, and from 7 to 14 days in males. Most of these genes (90.5%, 1712) were upregulated and enriched for chemical stimulus detection and/or cilium regulation. Our data highlight an important delay in male brain gene regulation compared to females. Because significant delays in expression could confound comparisons between sexes, studies of sexual dimorphism at phenotypically comparable life stages rather than chronological age should be more biologically relevant.
Rights
Copyright (c) 2025 The Authors
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Locate the Document
https://doi-org/10.1007/s12035-024-04427-7
DOI
10.1007/s12035-024-04427-7
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/43619
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Citation Details
McLamb, F., Feng, Z., Vu, J. P., Griffin, L., Vasquez, M. F., & Bozinovic, G. (2024). Lagging Brain Gene Expression Patterns of Drosophila melanogaster Young Adult Males Confound Comparisons Between Sexes. Molecular Neurobiology, 62(3), 2955–2972.
