title: We can't all be supermodels: the value of comparative transcriptomics to the study of non-model insects.
abstract: Insects are the most diverse group of organisms on the planet. Variation in gene expression lies at the heart of this biodiversity and recent advances in sequencing technology have spawned a revolution in researchers' ability to survey tissue-specific transcriptional complexity across a wide range of insect taxa. Increasingly, studies are using a comparative approach (across species, sexes and life stages) that examines the transcriptional basis of phenotypic diversity within an evolutionary context. In the present review, we summarize much of this research, focusing in particular on three critical aspects of insect biology: morphological development and plasticity; physiological response to the environment; and sexual dimorphism. A common feature that is emerging from these investigations concerns the dynamic nature of transcriptome evolution as indicated by rapid changes in the overall pattern of gene expression, the differential expression of numerous genes with unknown function, and the incorporation of novel, lineage-specific genes into the transcriptional profile.
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, Division of Invertebrates, Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Sara J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Oppenheim
authors.forename: Richard H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.forename: Sabrina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: DeSalle
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D005075:Biological Evolution; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D014644:Genetic Variation; D007313:Insecta / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D010641:Phenotype; D012313:RNA / Q000235:genetics; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D059467:Transcriptome / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D012313:RNA
keywords: NGS; RNA-Seq; comparative transcriptomics; differential expression; insects; non-model organism