Sexual Selection and the Molecular Evolution of ADAM Proteins

Rapid evolution has been identified for many reproductive genes and recent studies have combined phylogenetic tests and information on species mating systems to test sexual selection. Here we examined the molecular evolution of the ADAM gene family, a diverse group of 35 proteins capable of adhesion to and cleavage of other proteins, using sequence data from 25 mammalian genes. Out of the 25 genes analyzed, all those expressed in male reproductive tissue showed evidence of positive selection. Positively selected amino acids within the protein adhesion domain were only found in sperm surface ADAM proteins (ADAMs 1, 2, 3, 4, and 32) suggesting selection driven by male x female interactions. We tested heterogeneity in rates of evolution of the adhesion domain of ADAM proteins by using sequence data from Hominidae and macaques. The use of the branch and branch-site models (PAML) showed evidence of higher d (N)/d (S) and/or positive selection linked to branches experiencing high postmating selective pressures (chimpanzee and macaque) for Adams 2, 18, and 23. Moreover, we found consistent higher proportion of nonsynonymous relative to synonymous and noncoding sequence substitutions in chimpanzee and/or macaque only for Adams 2, 18, and 23. Our results suggest that lineage-specific sexual selection bouts might have driven the evolution of the adhesion sperm protein surface domains of ADAMs 2 and 18 in primates. Adams 2 and 18 are localized in chromosome 8 of primates and adjacent to each other, so their evolution might have also been influenced by their common genome localization.