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Cell Biology JoVE (Open Access) Citable · DOI

Effect of Male Accessory Gland Products on Egg Laying in Gastropod Molluscs

DOI: 10.3791/51698-v
What you'll learn
  • ✓ Dissect and isolate male accessory glands from hermaphroditic gastropods
  • ✓ Perform intravaginal injection of seminal fluid into recipient snails
  • ✓ Quantify egg-laying responses using bioassay and counting methods
  • ✓ Analyze reproductive effects of male-derived compounds in molluscs
Protocol

This video protocol demonstrates a method to study effects of seminal fluid in gastropods, using the hermaphroditic freshwater snail Lymnaea stagnalis.

Difficulty
advanced
Total time
~3–4 days (breeding + dissection + injection + bioassay collection)
Model organism
Lymnaea stagnalis (hermaphroditic freshwater snail)

Steps

1
Establish and maintain breeding facility

Set up controlled conditions for culturing Lymnaea stagnalis colonies. Ensure adequate water quality, temperature, and food supply to maintain healthy hermaphroditic snails for experimentation.

▶ 01:42
2
Dissect male accessory glands from snails

Remove reproductive tissue from donor snails under magnification, isolating male accessory glands for extraction of seminal fluid. Prepare gland material for subsequent injection into recipient snails.

▶ 02:33
3
Perform intravaginal injection of seminal fluid

Inject extracted seminal fluid directly into the reproductive tract of recipient snails using a micropipette or microinjection apparatus. Control injection volume and placement to ensure consistent treatment.

▶ 05:46
4
Conduct bioassay to monitor reproductive response

Observe and record behavioral and physiological changes in injected snails over a defined observation period. Document egg-laying activity and other reproductive outputs as indicators of seminal fluid effects.

▶ 07:32
5
Measure and count laid eggs quantitatively

Collect and enumerate eggs laid by treated and control snails. Use standardized counting and measurement protocols to generate numerical data for statistical analysis.

▶ 11:01
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