Drosophila Accessory Gland
Drosophila Accessory Gland - Related Videos
02:59
Drosophila Male Accessory Gland Dissection: A Method to Isolate Secondary Cells
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2023
This video describes the dissection of the accessory glands from male flies and shows an example in which the isolated gland will be dissociated into a single cell suspension.
01:16
Accessory Glands of the Male Reproductive System
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2025
The accessory ducts involved in sperm maturation and transportation include the epididymides, vasa deferentia, ejaculatory ducts, and urethra. These ducts play a critical role in the maturation, storage, and transportation of sperm from the testes to the urethra, where it is then released during ejaculation. The epididymis is a small, comma-shaped organ located at the back of each testicle. The epididymis can be divided into three main parts: the head, body, and tail. The head of the epididymis...
01:21
Accessory Structures of the Skin: Sebaceous Glands
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2023
A sebaceous gland is a type of oil gland found almost all over the skin ( except palms and soles) and helps lubricate and waterproof the skin and hair. Most sebaceous glands are associated with hair follicles. They generate and excrete sebum, a mixture of lipids, onto the skin surface, thereby naturally lubricating the dry and dead layer of keratinized cells of the stratum corneum, keeping it pliable. These glands that produce the oils on the skin and hair are holocrine glands. The mature...
01:20
Accessory Structures of the Skin: Sweat Glands
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2023
Sweat glands or sudoriferous glands are one of the important accessory structures of the skin. They are small, coiled tubular structures located in the dermis, the middle layer of the skin. Sweat glands are responsible for producing and secreting sweat, a watery fluid that helps regulate body temperature and excrete waste products. Sweat glands are classified as merocrine glands; that is, the secretions are excreted by exocytosis through a duct without affecting the cells of the gland. There...
06:54
A FACS-based Protocol to Isolate RNA from the Secondary Cells of Drosophila Male Accessory Glands
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Cited by 1 •
2019
Here, we present a protocol to dissociate and sort a specific cell population from the Drosophila male accessory glands (secondary cells) for RNA sequencing and RT-qPCR. Cell isolation is accomplished through FACS purification of GFP-expressing secondary cells after a multistep-dissociation process requiring dissection, proteases digestion and mechanical dispersion.
FAQs
Accessory gland proteins are transferred alongside sperm and can change several female post-mating responses. The overview identifies effects on female behavior, sperm storage, ovulation, and fertility, showing that seminal fluid does more than accompany sperm. Studying these proteins helps connect their production and secretion by gland epithelial cells with reproductive outcomes in both sexes.
Gland epithelial cells synthesize and secrete accessory gland proteins, making them a direct cellular site where gene activity can affect reproductive physiology. Researchers can manipulate specific gland cells or the genes encoding seminal proteins, then relate those changes to mating and fertility phenotypes. This provides a way to examine gene function through a defined reproductive tissue.
The gland provides a model for intersexual communication because its secreted proteins can alter female behavior and physiology after mating. These effects show how products from one individual influence responses in another, linking molecular activity to sexual selection and post-mating processes. The system therefore supports genetic analysis of reproductive interactions rather than sperm function alone.
A typical study uses Drosophila genetic tools to manipulate either selected accessory gland cells or genes encoding seminal proteins. Researchers then assess consequences for mating outcomes and reproductive success. Comparing manipulated flies with appropriate unmodified counterparts allows gland-specific gene activity to be connected with changes in protein secretion, female responses, or fertility-related phenotypes.
Studies can examine mating outcomes, reproductive success, female behavior, sperm storage, ovulation, and fertility. These measurements capture different stages of the reproductive response, from behavioral changes after mating to later consequences for sperm use and offspring production. Using several outcomes helps distinguish a direct effect on post-mating physiology from a broader change in reproductive performance.
Its value comes from the ability to connect defined genetic manipulations with secreted reproductive factors and measurable effects in the mating partner. The model integrates gene function, tissue-specific activity, seminal fluid biology, intersexual communication, sexual selection, and post-mating physiology. Consequently, it offers a focused system for studying how genetic regulation shapes reproductive success.