Summary: AUTHOR COPY ONLY
REPRODUCTIONREVIEW
Evolution of reproductive proteins from animals and plants
Nathaniel L Clark, Jan E Aagaard and Willie J Swanson
Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Box 357730, Seattle, Washington 8195-7730, USA
Correspondence should be addressed to W J Swanson; Email: wswanson@gs.washington.edu
All authors contributed equally to this review
Abstract
Sexual reproduction is a fundamental biological process common among eukaryotes. Because of the significance of reproduc-
tive proteins to fitness, the diversity and rapid divergence of proteins acting at many stages of reproduction is surprising and
suggests a role of adaptive diversification in reproductive protein evolution. Here we review the evolution of reproductive
proteins acting at different stages of reproduction among animals and plants, emphasizing common patterns. Although we
are just beginning to understand these patterns, by making comparisons among stages of reproduction for diverse organisms
we can begin to understand the selective forces driving reproductive protein diversity and the functional consequences of
reproductive protein evolution.
Reproduction (2006) 131 11­22
Introduction
Traits that influence reproductive success and contribute
to reproductive isolation of animal and plant species have
been a central focus of evolutionary biology since Darwin

Source: Aagaard, Jan - Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington at Seattle

Collections: Biology and Medicine