We study the molecular processes of mammalian reproduction through an interdisciplinary approach that combines evolutionary biology and mechanistic molecular biology. Specifically, we investigate the postcopulatory molecular interactions between males and females, and the selective forces that drive the evolution of these processes.
I am looking for students to join us (undergraduate, graduate or PhD). Contact me if you are interested.
lena.lueke [at] gmail.com
While molecular interactions between sperm and oocyte have been extensively studied, there has been limited research into the crosstalk that occurs before fertilization, during the journey of sperm cells to the site of fertilization. The interactions between sperm cells and the FRT are not limited to sperm guiding and storing, but comprise sophisticated mechanisms of sperm selection. We investigate the female side of communication with sperm cells and aim to identify molecules and mechanisms involved in female-mediated sperm selection.
Pregnancy significantly impacts the mother, with fetal cells entering the maternal circulation and taking residence in various tissues, including the maternal brain. This phenomenon is termed fetal microchimerism (FMC). Evolutionary theorists suggest FMC evolution is rooted in conflict and cooperation over maternal investment. We investigate if and how FMC can affect maternal investment in mice during and beyond pregnancy.
Protamines are essential sperm-specific proteins that replace histones in the sperm nucleus to ensure tight and secure packaging of paternal DNA. The impact of this packaging on maintaining important paternal epigenetic information, as well as how this information is preserved until after fertilization, remains unclear. Our research focuses on understanding the role of protamine processing and cleavage in regulating and maintaining this information, which is critical for embryonic development.
Arévalo, L.*, Esther Merges, G., Schneider, S., & Schorle, H. (2022). Protamines: Lessons learned from mouse models. Reproduction, 164(3), R57–R74. https://doi.org/10.1530/REP-22-0107
Arévalo, L.*, Merges, G. E., Schneider, S., Oben, F. E., Neumann, I. S., & Schorle, H. (2022). Loss of the cleaved-protamine 2 domain leads to incomplete histone-to-protamine exchange and infertility in mice. PLOS Genetics, 18(6), e1010272. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1010272
Arévalo, L.*, Tourmente, M., Varea‐Sánchez, M., Ortiz‐García, D., & Roldan, E. R. S. (2021). Sexual selection towards a protamine expression ratio optimum in two rodent groups? Evolution, 75(8), 2124–2131. https://doi.org/10.1111/evo.14305
Arévalo, L.*, Gardner, S., & Campbell, P. (2021). Haldane’s rule in the placenta: Sex-biased misregulation of the Kcnq1 imprinting cluster in hybrid mice. Evolution, 75(1), 86–100. https://doi.org/10.1111/evo.14132
Arévalo, L.*, & Campbell, P. (2020). Placental effects on the maternal brain revealed by disrupted placental gene expression in mouse hybrids. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 287(1918), 20192563. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2019.2563
Arévalo, L., Brukman, N. G., Cuasnicú, P. S., & Roldan, E. R. S. (2020). Evolutionary analysis of genes coding for Cysteine-RIch Secretory Proteins (CRISPs) in mammals. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 20(1), 67. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-020-01632-5
Lüke, L., Tourmente, M., & Roldan, E. R. S. (2016). Sexual Selection of Protamine 1 in Mammals. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 33(1), 174–184. https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msv209
Lüke, L., Campbell, P., Varea Sánchez, M., Nachman, M. W., & Roldan, E. R. S. (2014). Sexual selection on protamine and transition nuclear protein expression in mouse species. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 281(1783), 20133359. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2013.3359