Duarte, Margarida AlexandraFernandes, CHeckel, Geraldda Luz Mathias, MariaBastos-Silveira, Cristiane2021-09-282021-09-282021-09Duarte, M.A.; Fernandes, C.R.; Heckel, G.; da Luz Mathias, M.; Bastos-Silveira, C. Variation and Selection in the Putative Sperm-Binding Region of ZP3 in Muroid Rodents: A Comparison between Cricetids and Murines. Genes 2021, 12, 1450. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/genes120914502073-4425http://hdl.handle.net/10451/49666In mammals, the zona pellucida glycoprotein 3 (ZP3) is considered a primary sperm receptor of the oocyte and is hypothesized to be involved in reproductive isolation. We investigated patterns of diversity and selection in the putative sperm-binding region (pSBR) of mouse ZP3 across Cricetidae and Murinae, two hyperdiverse taxonomic groups within muroid rodents. In murines, the pSBR is fairly conserved, in particular the serine-rich stretch containing the glycosylation sites proposed as essential for sperm binding. In contrast, cricetid amino acid sequences of the pSBR were much more variable and the serine-rich motif, typical of murines, was generally substantially modified. Overall, our results suggest a general lack of species specificity of the pSBR across the two muroid families. We document statistical evidence of positive selection acting on exons 6 and 7 of ZP3 and identified several amino acid sites that are likely targets of selection, with most positively selected sites falling within or adjacent to the pSBR.engzona pellucida glycoprotein 3sperm receptorfemale fertilization proteinpositive selectionCricetidaeMurinaejournal article10.3390/genes12091450