Transcriptome sequencing of parasitoid wasp Muscidifurax zaraptor and its Nosema parasite

Nosema is a diverse fungal genus of microsporidian unicellular, obligate symbionts of insects and other arthropods. We performed a comparative genomic analysis of N. muscidifuracis, a Nosema species infecting parasitoid wasp genus Muscidifurax, with six other genome-sequenced Nosema species. A sequence motif containing at least three consecutive Cs was significantly enriched immediately upstream of the start codon in all seven Nosema genomes. Interestingly, this motif is present in ~90% of highly expressed genes, compared to ~20% in lowly expressed genes N. muscidifuracis, which may function as a cis-regulatory element for gene expression control and regulation. Our study provides new insights into the gene regulation evolution in Nosema. Overall design: Male and female whole adult Muscidifurax zaraptor were collected 24 hours after eclosion with three replicates for RNA sequencing to quantify the gene expression profile of M. zaraptor and its fungal pathogen Nosema muscidifuracis.