Transcriptional responses to seasonal dietary shifts in Drosophila mojavensis

Drosophila mojavensis normally breeds in necrotic columnar cactus, but they also feed and breed in Opuntia fruit (prickly pear) which serves as a seasonal resource. The prickly pear fruits are much different chemically from cacti, mainly in their free sugars and lipid content, raising the question of the effects of this seasonal shift on gene expression. We evaluated gene expression of emerging male and female adult flies exposed to prickly pear fruits or cacti using RNA-Seq.