title: Matrilineal inheritance of a key mediator of prenatal maternal effects.
abstract: Sex-linkage is predicted to evolve in response to sex-specific or sexually antagonistic selection. In line with this prediction, most sex-linked genes are associated with reproduction in the respective sex. In addition to traits directly involved in fertility and fecundity, mediators of maternal effects may be predisposed to evolve sex-linkage, because they indirectly affect female fitness through their effect on offspring phenotype. Here, we test for sex-linked inheritance of a key mediator of prenatal maternal effects in oviparous species, the transfer of maternally derived testosterone to the eggs. Consistent with maternal inheritance, we found that in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) granddaughters resemble their maternal (but not their paternal) grandmother in yolk testosterone deposition. This pattern of resemblance was not due to non-genetic priming effects of testosterone exposure during prenatal development, as an experimental manipulation of yolk testosterone levels did not affect the females' testosterone transfer to their own eggs later in life. Instead, W chromosome and/or mitochondrial variation may underlie the observed matrilineal inheritance pattern. Ultimately, the inheritance of mediators of maternal effects along the maternal line will allow for a fast and direct response to female-specific selection, thereby affecting the dynamics of evolutionary processes mediated by maternal effects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland barbara.tschirren@ieu.uzh.ch.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-4806-4102
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tschirren
authors.affiliation: Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Ann-Kathrin
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Ziegler
authors.affiliation: Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Joel L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Pick
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Physiology and Ethology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Okuliarová
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Physiology and Ethology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.
authors.forename: Michal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zeman
authors.affiliation: Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK.
authors.forename: Mathieu
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-8563-1810
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Giraudeau
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003370:Coturnix / Q000235:genetics*; D004530:Egg Yolk / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D056084:Genetic Fitness; D000072741:Maternal Inheritance; D010641:Phenotype; D013739:Testosterone / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D013739:Testosterone
keywords: Coturnix japonica; hormones; maternal effects; sex-specific selection; yolk androgens