biostudies-literatureUnknown5Cerqueda-Garcia DThis study explores the transcriptional dynamics of the polyphagous Mexican Fruit Fly, <i>Anastrepha ludens</i>, across five developmental stages, revealing distinct gene expression patterns unique to each stage. We identified 9,762 DEGs associated with the four developmental stages. During the egg stage, we identified the greatest number of differentially expressed genes exhibiting a pronounced activity of metabolic pathways, particularly the Mitogen-Associated Protein Kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, which is essential for embryonic development and defense mechanisms. The second larval instar stage mainly focused on growth, as shown by the overexpression of the Transforming Growth Factor Beta (TGF-beta) pathway. In the third larval stage, genes are significantly enriched in cuticle strucFrontiers in insect science1618382https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12426010biostudies-literatureStage-resolved transcriptomic profiling of &lt;i&gt;Anastrepha ludens&lt;/i&gt; (Diptera: Tephritidae) from egg to adult: molecular signatures of a notorious polyphagous fruit-fly pest.PMC12426010Cerqueda-Garcia DCarpinteyro-Ponce JIbarra-Laclette EOsorio-Paz IAluja MAltuzar-Molina AfalseStage-resolved transcriptomic profiling of &lt;i&gt;Anastrepha ludens&lt;/i&gt; (Diptera: Tephritidae) from egg to adult: molecular signatures of a notorious polyphagous fruit-fly pest.This study explores the transcriptional dynamics of the polyphagous Mexican Fruit Fly, <i>Anastrepha ludens</i>, across five developmental stages, revealing distinct gene expression patterns unique to each stage. We identified 9,762 DEGs associated with the four developmental stages. During the egg stage, we identified the greatest number of differentially expressed genes exhibiting a pronounced activity of metabolic pathways, particularly the Mitogen-Associated Protein Kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, which is essential for embryonic development and defense mechanisms. The second larval instar stage mainly focused on growth, as shown by the overexpression of the Transforming Growth Factor Beta (TGF-beta) pathway. In the third larval stage, genes are significantly enriched in cuticle struc2025-01-01T00:00:00Z20252026-06-03T02:50:03.008Z2026-04-23T03:12:36.398ZS-EPMC124260104094960110.3389/finsc.2025.1618382