DOI: 10.5061/dryad.c2fqz61pz
title: Phenotypic data from seminal fluid protein Acp29AB knockdown experiments

description: Seminal fluid proteins (SFPs) can alter female physiology and behavior,
 with consequences that may align with or oppose female interests. Many
 SFPs are known to shape aspects of the female post-mating response, yet
 evidence for direct effects on female fitness is scarce. In Drosophila
 melanogaster, the SFP Acp29AB is firmly linked to sperm defense (P1) and
 sperm storage, but its impacts on females are poorly understood. Using a
 GAL4–UAS RNAi system with perfectly matched genetic backgrounds, we
 manipulated Acp29AB expression either ubiquitously or specifically in the
 male accessory gland and then asked how knockdown alters male sperm
 competition and, in female mates, oviposition dynamics and competitive
 fitness. Both knockdowns impaired male P1, consistent with past work on
 Acp29AB. We uncovered a previously undetected effect on oviposition
 timing: across 14 days after a single mating, females mated to control
 males laid more eggs early in life than females mated to knockdown males,
 advancing the timing of reproduction. With accessory gland-specific
 knockdown, this shift occurred without a change in total egg output, which
 may explain why earlier work focused on totals alone did not detect an
 effect. Despite accelerated oviposition in mates of control males,
 however, female competitive fitness in a five-day, early-life assay that
 included direct (female–female) and indirect (larval) competition did not
 differ between treatments. Thus, Acp29AB enhances male P1 and promotes
 earlier egg laying in mates, but under our experimental conditions has no
 detectable net effect on female fitness. These results broaden the
 functional scope of Acp29AB to include female reproductive scheduling and
 suggest that some SFPs may evolve rapidly while either being effectively
 neutral or having context-dependent effects on female fitness.
description: # Phenotypic data from seminal fluid protein Acp29AB knockdown experiments
 Dataset DOI:
 [10.5061/dryad.c2fqz61pz](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.c2fqz61pz) ##
 Description of the data and file structure Expression of the seminal fluid
 protein gene Acp29AB was knocked down in Drosophila melanogaster using
 RNAi driven by two different GAL4 drivers, one ubiquitous and one
 tissue-specific. Knockdown was validated by qPCR, and male and female
 phenotypes, including sperm competition (P1 and P2), egg-laying across 14
 days, and female competitive fitness, were measured. ### Files and
 variables #### File: Acp29AB_eggs_ovu.txt **Description:** 14-day
 egg-laying time course for females mated to males with reduced Acp29AB
 expression (ovu driver). ##### Variables * vial: individual female *
 treatment: control (GFP) versus knockdown (29AB) mate * day: day of
 egg-laying, 1-14 * eggs: number of eggs counted #### File:
 Acp29AB_eggs_ubi.txt **Description:** 14-day egg-laying time course for
 females mated to males with reduced Acp29AB expression (ubi driver). #####
 Variables * vial: individual female * treatment: control (GFP) versus
 knockdown (29AB) mate * block: experimental block * day: day of
 egg-laying, 1-14 * eggs: number of eggs counted #### File:
 Acp29AB_femalefitness_ovu.txt **Description:** Competitive fitness for
 females mated to males with reduced Acp29AB expression (ovu driver). #####
 Variables * vial: individual female * treatment: control (GFP) versus
 knockdown (29AB) mate * wt: number of wild-type offspring * e: number of
 ebony offspring * total: total number of offspring * block: experimental
 block #### File: Acp29AB_P1_ovu_block1.txt **Description:** Male sperm
 "defense" measurements (P1) for males with reduced Acp29AB
 expression (ovu driver). First experimental block. ##### Variables * vial:
 individual female * trt: control (GFP) versus knockdown (29AB) male * wt:
 number of wild-type offspring * e: number of ebony offspring * total:
 total number of offspring #### File: Acp29AB_P1_ovu_block2.txt
 **Description:** Male sperm "defense" measurements (P1) for
 males with reduced Acp29AB expression (ovu driver). Second experimental
 block. ##### Variables * vial: individual female * trt: control (GFP)
 versus knockdown (29AB) male * wt: number of wild-type offspring * e:
 number of ebony offspring * total: total number of offspring #### File:
 Acp29AB_P1_ubi.txt **Description:** Male sperm "defense"
 measurements (P1) for males with reduced Acp29AB expression (ubi driver).
 ##### Variables * vial: individual female * treatment: control (GFP)
 versus knockdown (29AB) male * wt: number of wild-type offspring * e:
 number of ebony offspring * total: total number of offspring #### File:
 Acp29AB_P2_ovu.txt **Description:** Male sperm "offense"
 measurements (P2) for males with reduced Acp29AB expression (ovu driver).
 ##### Variables * vial: individual female * treatment: control (GFP)
 versus knockdown (29AB) male * wt: number of wild-type offspring * e:
 number of ebony offspring * total: total number of offspring #### File:
 Acp29AB_qPCR_ovu.txt **Description:** Acp29AB gene expression in knockdown
 and control males (ovu driver). ##### Variables * treatment: control (GFP)
 versus knockdown (29AB) male * rel_expr: relative gene expression
 (percentage) * log2rel_expr: relative gene expression (log2 scale) ####
 File: Acp29AB_qPCR_ubi.txt **Description:** Acp29AB gene expression in
 knockdown and control males (ubi driver). ##### Variables *
 treatment: control (GFP) versus knockdown (29AB) male * rel_expr: relative
 gene expression (percentage) * log2rel_expr: relative gene expression
 (log2 scale)