Mating system variation and gene expression in the male reproductive tract of Peromyscus mice

Genes involved in reproduction often evolve rapidly at the sequence level due to postcopulatory sexual selection (PCSS) driven by male-male competition and male-female sexual conflict, but the impact of PCSS on gene expression has been under-explored. Further, though multiple tissues contribute to male reproductive success, most studies have focused on the testes. To explore the influence of mating system variation on reproductive tract gene expression in natural populations, we captured adult males from monogamous Peromyscus californicus and polygynandrous P. boylii and P. maniculatus. We generated RNAseq libraries, quantified gene expression in the testis, seminal vesicle, epididymis, and liver, and identified 3,627 mating system-associated differentially expressed genes (MS-DEGs), where expression shifted in the same direction in P. maniculatus and P. boylii relative to P. californicus. Gene expression variation was most strongly associated with mating behavior in the seminal vesicle..., This dataset includes three de novo assembled transcriptomes for Peromyscus maniculatus, Peromyscus boylii, and Peromyscus californicus.
Gene expression data was generated from tissues sampled from wild-caught mice from Hastings Natural History Reserve (Carmel Valley, CA) and the Field Station for the Study of Behavior, Ecology, and Reproduction (Berkeley, CA). RNAseq data was generated from the testis, liver, epididymis, and seminal vesicle using the KAPA HyperPrep RNAseq library preparation kit and sequenced on an Illumina NovaSeq S4 at Vincent J. Coates Genome Sequencing Laboratory at UC Berkeley. Specimens were accessioned into the mammal collection at the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and sample metadata is available on the Arctos museum database. 
Transcriptomes were assembled starting from filtered, cleaned RNAseq data using the Trinity assembler. Transcripts with more than 95% similarity were collapsed and chimeric and mis-assembled sequences were removed before transcripts were ..., , # Data from: Mating system variation and gene expression in the male reproductive tract of Peromyscus mice

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.b5mkkwhmw](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.b5mkkwhmw)

## Description of the data and file structure

This dataset includes three de novo assembled transcriptomes for *Peromyscus maniculatus* (species abbreviation: PEMA) , *Peromyscus boylii* (PEBO), and *Peromyscus californicus* (PECA). 

\**File names: ** 

*Peromyscus boylii*: P_boylii_transcriptome_Voss_Nachman_2024.fa

*Peromyscus californicus*: P_californicus_transcriptome_Voss_Nachman_2024.fa

*Peromyscus maniculatus*: P_maniculatus_transcriptome_Voss_Nachman_2024.fa

**Experiment and file overview:** 

This dataset contains transcriptomes that were individually assembled from RNAseq data for three species of *Peromyscus* mice. The goal of this study was to compare reproductive gene expression among male mice from species that vary in mating behavior and strength of postcopulatory sexual select...