Data from: Transcriptome-wide differential gene expression in Bicyclus anynana butterflies: female vision-related genes are more plastic

cave-adapted species down-regulate the expression of vision genes or even lose their eyes and associated eye genes entirely. Alternatively, organisms that live in fluctuating environments, with different requirements for vision at different times, may evolve phenotypic plasticity for expression of vision genes. Here we use a global transcriptomic and candidate gene approach to compare gene expression in the heads of a polyphenic butterfly. Bicyclus anynana have two seasonal forms that display sexual dimorphism and plasticity in eye morphology, and female-specific plasticity in opsin gene expression. Non-choosy dry season females down-regulate opsin expression, consistent with the high physiological cost of vision. To identify other genes associated with sexually dimorphic and seasonally plastic differences in vision we analyzed RNA-Sequencing data from whole head tissues. We identified two eye development genes (klarsicht and warts homologs) and an eye pigment biosynthesis gene (henna) differentially expressed between seasonal forms. By comparing sex-specific expression across seasonal forms, we found that klarsicht, warts, henna, and another eye development gene (domeless) were plastic in a female-specific manner. In a male-only analysis, white (w) was differentially expressed between seasonal forms. RT-PCR confirmed that warts and white are expressed in eyes only, whereas klarsicht, henna and domeless are expressed in both eyes and brain. We find that differential expression of eye development and eye pigment genes is associated with divergent eye phenotypes in B. anynana seasonal forms, and that there is a larger effect of season on female vision-related genes.适应洞穴生境的物种会下调视觉基因的表达，甚至完全丧失眼睛及其相关的眼部基因。与之相对，栖息于波动环境、在不同时段对视觉有不同需求的生物，则可能演化出调控视觉基因表达的表型可塑性（phenotypic plasticity）。本研究采用全局转录组学（global transcriptomic）与候选基因策略，对一种多型眼蝶的头部基因表达模式开展比较分析。该物种为矍眼蝶（Bicyclus anynana），存在两种季节型，其眼部形态兼具雌雄二态性与表型可塑性，且视蛋白基因（opsin gene）的表达呈现雌性特异性的可塑性。非选择性的旱季雌性个体下调视蛋白基因表达，这与视觉所带来的高生理成本相一致。为筛选出与视觉相关的雌雄二态及季节可塑性差异相关的其他基因，本研究对全头部组织的RNA测序（RNA-Sequencing）数据进行了分析。我们鉴定出两个眼部发育基因（klarsicht及warts同源基因）与一个眼部色素生物合成基因（henna）在两种季节型间存在差异表达。通过比较不同季节型下的性别特异性表达模式，我们发现klarsicht、warts、henna以及另一个眼部发育基因（domeless）的表达均表现出雌性特异性的可塑性。在仅针对雄性的分析中，白色基因（white，缩写w）在两种季节型间存在差异表达。实时荧光定量PCR（RT-PCR）实验证实，warts与white仅在眼部表达，而klarsicht、henna及domeless则在眼部与脑组织中均有表达。本研究发现，眼部发育基因与眼部色素基因的差异表达与矍眼蝶（B. anynana）两种季节型的眼部表型分化相关，且季节因素对雌性视觉相关基因的表达影响更为显著。