Uncovering the Circadian Transcriptome of : Insights into a Non-canonical Insect Model

The study of the circadian clock has greatly benefited from using as a model system. Yet accumulating evidence suggests that the fly might not be the canonical insect model. Here, I have analysed the circadian transcriptome of the jewel wasp by using RNA-seq in both constant darkness and constant light (in contrast to flies, the wasps are rhythmic under continuous light). I identify approximately 6% of the transcriptome as cycling under constant conditions, revealing a bimodal distribution of phases and low cycling amplitude. I examine the biological processes under circadian control in , identifying clock control of functions such as metabolism, light response and a variety of neural processes, drawing comparisons between and . Although there was little similarity between cycling genes in and , the functions fulfilled by cycling transcripts were similar in both species. Interestingly, of the known core clock genes, only , and showed significant cycling in , highlighting the potential diversity in molecular clock mechanisms across insect species.