RNA sequencing of Brevicoryne brassicae

The cabbage aphid (CA) larvae were first collected from rapeseed fields in Lanzhou, China. They were raised in a lab on rapeseed plants. Aphids at different developmental stages and morphs, including first instar nymphs, asexual wingless and winged female adults, were used to create an un-stranded RNA-seq library. This library was then sequenced using the Illumina NovaSeq 6000 platform, generating 63.60 Gb of 150-bp paired-end clean reads. For stranded RNA-seq, adult aphids from the laboratory stock were placed on new rapeseed plants and allowed a 24-hour period to produce nymphs. After this period, the adult aphids were removed, leaving the nymphs to continue feeding on the plants for an additional three days. These three-day-old nymphs were then transferred to new, intact rapeseed plants and allowed to feed for two more days (designated as CA_Bn_Bn). After this feeding period, the surviving aphids were collected to create a stranded RNA-seq library. This library was also sequenced on the Illumina NovaSeq 6000 platform, generating 26.71 Gb of 150-bp paired-end clean reads.