Project description:<p> The casuarina moth (Lymantria xylina) is a notorious forestry pest, posing severe ecological and economic threats due to its destructive defoliation outbreaks and high invasive potential. Despite its significance, a high-quality reference genome has been lacking, limiting molecular-level investigations into its biology and hindering the development of effective pest management strategies. In this study, we report the first chromosome-level genome assembly of L. xylina generated through a combination of illumina short-reads, Oxford Nanopore long-reads, and Hi-C scaffolding. The final assembly spans 977.74 Mb, with 95.17% anchored to 31 pseudo-chromosomes, achieving a scaffold N50 of 34.15 Mb. Importantly, telomeric sequences were identified at both ends of all 31 pseudo-chromosomes, underscoring the exceptional quality and completeness of this reference genome. Quality assessment further revealed a BUSCO completeness of 94.5% and a consensus QV of 31.72. We also annotated 18,484 protein-coding genes, 95.21% of which were functionally assigned, and characterized genome-wide repetitive elements (77.18%).</p><p> Beyond the genome assembly, we generated comprehensive RNA-seq and metabolomic datasets across multiple diapause stages, enabling insights into gene expression dynamics and metabolic regulation during egg development. Together, these resources provide a valuable foundation for studying the genetic basis of host adaptation, invasiveness, and interactions with natural enemies such as nucleopolyhedrovirus and Beauveria bassiana.</p>
Project description:Using 4 replicate males and 4 replicate females this experiment examined dosage compensation and sex-biased gene expression. Briefly we performed a de novo assembly of the Manduca sexta transcriptome using all sequenced libraries, quantified genes expression, identified the physical locations of genes through orthology to the moth Bombyx mori and examine expression differences between autosomal and Z-linked genes between males and females. Further, we examined sex-biased gene expression using the replicated data.
Project description:Plastics are highly stable materials with widespread applications, but their resistance to degradation poses a significant environmental challenge, often resulting in accumulation in landfills or pollution in the form of microplastics. Biodegradation using insect larvae has recently emerged as a promising strategy to address this issue, though the molecular basis of plastic degradation in these organisms remains poorly understood due to limited genomic resources. In this study, we present a complete genome of the lesser wax moth, Achroia grisella, and tissue-specific RNA-Seq data of both the lesser and the greater wax moth, Galleria mellonella, two species known to consume various plastics. Our analyses reveal several highly expressed secretory enzymes in gut and labial tissues. Orthologous comparisons of differentially expressed genes also identified five enzymes (three hexamerins and two monooxygenases) from the lesser wax moth that have been shown or are predicted to have plastic-degrading potential in the greater wax moth. We also identified enzymes that may potentially be involved in polyethylene and polystyrene degradation based on their identities with known bacterial enzymes that have been experimentally validated and are involved in plastic degradation pathways. Together, these genomic and transcriptomic resources provide a foundation for understanding plastic degradation in wax moths and highlight candidate genes for future functional validation.