Data from: Masculinisation of gene expression is associated with male quality in Drosophila melanogaster

The signature of sexual selection has been revealed through the study of
differences in patterns of genome-wide gene expression, both between the
sexes and between alternative reproductive morphs within a single sex.
What remains unclear, however, is whether differences in gene expression
patterns between individuals of a given sex consistently map to variation
in individual quality. Such a pattern, particularly if found in males,
would provide unambiguous evidence that the phenotypic response to sexual
selection is shaped through sex-specific alterations to the transcriptome.
To redress this knowledge gap, we explored whether patterns of sex-biased
gene expression are associated with variation in male reproductive quality
in Drosophila melanogaster. We measured two male reproductive phenotypes,
and their association with sex-biased gene expression, across a selection
of inbred lines from the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel. Genotypes
with higher expression of male-biased genes produced males exhibiting
shorter latencies to copulation, and higher capacity to inseminate
females. Conversely, female-biased genes tended to show negative
associations with these male reproductive traits across genotypes. We
uncovered similar patterns, by reanalysing a published dataset from a
second D. melanogaster population. Our results reveal the footprint of
sexual selection in masculinising the male transcriptome.