Li Fei, Wang Xianhui, Zhou Xin
Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Biology and Ecological Regulation of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; email:
State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; email:
Annu Rev Entomol. 2025 Jan;70(1):379-400. doi: 10.1146/annurev-ento-013024-013420.
Thanks to the fast development of sequencing techniques and bioinformatics tools, sequencing the genome of an insect species for specific research purposes has become an increasingly popular practice. Insect genomes not only provide sets of gene sequences but also represent a change in focus from reductionism to systemic biology in the field of entomology. Using insect genomes, researchers are able to identify and study the functions of all members of a gene family, pathway, or gene network associated with a trait of interest. Comparative genomics studies provide new insights into insect evolution, addressing long-lasting controversies in taxonomy. It is also now feasible to uncover the genetic basis of important traits by identifying variants using genome resequencing data of individual insects, followed by genome-wide association analysis. Here, we review the current progress in insect genome sequencing projects and the application of insect genomes in uncovering the phylogenetic relationships between insects and unraveling the mechanisms of important life-history traits. We also summarize the challenges in genome data sharing and possible solutions. Finally, we provide guidance for fully and deeply mining insect genome data.
由于测序技术和生物信息学工具的快速发展，为特定研究目的对昆虫物种的基因组进行测序已成为一种越来越普遍的做法。昆虫基因组不仅提供了基因序列集，还代表了昆虫学领域从还原论到系统生物学的研究重点转变。利用昆虫基因组，研究人员能够识别和研究与感兴趣的性状相关的基因家族、通路或基因网络中所有成员的功能。比较基因组学研究为昆虫进化提供了新的见解，解决了分类学中长期存在的争议。通过使用单个昆虫的基因组重测序数据识别变异，然后进行全基因组关联分析，现在也能够揭示重要性状的遗传基础。在这里，我们综述了昆虫基因组测序项目的当前进展以及昆虫基因组在揭示昆虫系统发育关系和阐明重要生活史性状机制方面的应用。我们还总结了基因组数据共享中的挑战和可能的解决方案。最后，我们为充分深入挖掘昆虫基因组数据提供指导。
