A genes eye view of ontogeny: de novo assembly and profiling of the Gryllus rubens transcriptome

Crickets (Orthoptera:Gryllidae) are widely used model organisms for developmental, evolutionary, neurobiological and behavioural research. Here, we developed a de novo transcriptome from pooled RNA-seq Illumina data spanning seven stages in the life cycle of Gryllus rubens. Approximately 705 Mbp of data was assembled and filtered to form 27 312 transcripts. We were able to annotate 52% of our transcripts using BLAST and assign at least one gene ontology term to 41%. Pooled samples from three different ontogenetic stages were used for transcriptomic profiling revealing patterns of differential gene expression that highlight processes in the different life stages. Embryonic and early instar development was enriched for ecdysteroid metabolism, cytochrome P450s and glutathione production. Late instar development was enriched for regulation of gene expression and many of the genes highly expressed during this stage were involved in conserved developmental signalling pathways suggesting that these developmental pathways are active beyond embryonic development. Adults were enriched for fat transport (mostly relating to egg production) and production of octopamine, an important neurohormone. We also identified genes involved in conserved developmental pathways (Hedgehog, Hippo, Wnt, JAK/STAT, TGF-beta, Notch, and MEK/ERK). This is the first transcriptome spanning ontogeny in Gryllus rubens and a valuable resource for future work on development and evolution in Orthoptera.