Table 3. Summary of the single mating and continual exposure assays.
| MicroRNA | Single mating assay |
Continual exposure assay |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reproductive output | Receptivity | Survival | Reproductive output | Receptivity | |
| mir-184 | Reduced output with no response to receipt of SP | SP more effective in suppressing remating | Not tested | Not tested | Not tested |
| mir-278D | No altered response to SP, tendency for a weaker response (P = 0.066) than in control | SP more effective in suppressing remating | Strong reduction in survival with continual male exposure, independent of SP receipt | No altered response to SP | Unresponsive to SP receipt, low number of matings overall |
| mir-279D | No altered response to SP, though a tendency for higher output following SP receipt than in controls | No altered response to SP | Reduced survival with continual male exposure, independent of SP receipt | No altered response to SP | No altered response to SP |
| mir-317D | No altered response to SP | SP less efficient in suppressing remating | Reduced survival with continual male exposure, independent of SP receipt | No altered response to SP | Reversal of pattern, more matings when held with SP+ males |
| mir-279C | No altered response to SP | No altered response to SP, but SP less efficient in suppressing remating after 24 hr | Not tested | Not tested | Not tested |
| mir-317C | No altered response to SP, though a tendency for higher output following SP receipt than in controls | No altered response to SP | Not tested | Not tested | Not tested |
Females either lacked the microRNAs of interest (mir-184 and mir-278D knock outs) or had reduced mir expression (mir-279 and mir-317 hypomorphs) in the wild-type Canton-S (C) or Dahomey (D) genetic background. Females were either mated singly to, or held continuously with, SP-lacking (SP0) or SP-transferring males (SP+). Female reproductive output and receptivity were recorded in both assays, and female survival was measured in the continual exposure assay.