The precise role of seminal proteins in sustaining post-mating responses in fruit flies

Successful reproduction is critical to pass genes to the next generation. In sexually reproducing organisms, sperm enter the female with seminal proteins that are vital for fertility. In a new study published on Friday, Dec. 14, 2007 in PLoS Genetics, researchers at Cornell University knocked down the levels of 25 seminal proteins individually in male fruit flies, testing the males' abilities to modulate egg production, sperm storage and release, and the females' post-mating behavior and physiology.