Data from: Overexpression of an antioxidant enzyme improves male mating performance after stress in a lek-mating fruit fly

In many species, courtship displays are reliable signals of male quality,
and current hypotheses suggest that mitochondrial function is a key
mechanism underlying these condition-dependent traits. Environmental
stressors generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) that impair mitochondrial
function, and thus antioxidant pathways that remove ROS are likely
critical for preserving complex sexual behaviors. Here, we test the
hypothesis that enhanced antioxidant activity in mitochondria preserves
mating performance following oxidative stress. Using a transgenic
approach, we directly manipulated mitochondrial antioxidant activity in
the Caribbean fruit fly, Anastrepha suspensa, a lek-mating species with
elaborate sexual displays and intense sexual selection that is also a
model for Sterile Insect Technique programs. We generated seven transgenic
lines that overexpress mitochondrial superoxide dismutase (MnSOD).
Radiation is a severe oxidative stressor used commonly to induce sterility
for sterile insect programs. After radiation treatment, two lines with
intermediate MnSOD overexpression showed enhanced mating performance
relative to wild-type males. These improvements in mating corresponded
with reduced oxidative damage to lipids, demonstrating that MnSOD
overexpression protects flies from oxidative stress at the cellular level.
For lines with improved mating performance, overexpression also preserved
locomotor activity, as indicated by a laboratory climbing assay. Our
results show a clear link between oxidative stress, antioxidant capacity,
and male performance. Our work has implications both for fundamentally
understanding the role of mitochondrial antioxidants in sexual selection
and shows promise for using transgenic approaches to enhance the field
performance of insects released for area-wide pest management strategies
and improving performance of biological control agents in general.