Supplementary material from "Uncovering the Circadian Transcriptome of Nasonia vitripennis: Insights into a Non-Canonical Insect Model"

The study of the circadian clock has greatly benefited from using Drosophila as a model system. Yet, accumulating evidence suggests that the fly might not be the canonical insect model. In this study, the circadian transcriptome of the jewel wasp Nasonia vitripennis was analyzed using RNA-seq in both constant darkness and constant light, taking advantage of the wasp's rhythmicity under continuous light, unlike flies. Approximately 6% of the transcriptome was identified as cycling under constant conditions, revealing a bimodal distribution of phases and low cycling amplitude. The biological processes under circadian control in Nasonia were examined, revealing clock control of functions such as metabolism, light response, and various neural processes, with comparisons drawn between Nasonia and Drosophila. Although there was little similarity between cycling genes in Drosophila and Nasonia, the functions fulfilled by cycling transcripts were similar in both species. Interestingly, of the known Drosophila core clock genes, only Pdp1e, shaggy, and Clock showed significant cycling in Nasonia, highlighting the potential diversity in molecular clock mechanisms across insect species.