Transgenic approaches to study wing color pattern development in Lepidoptera

Abstract

The extremely diverse lepidopteran wing patterns make useful models to study the evolution of development and the molecular changes that enable it. Until now, the implication of candidate genes in the differentiation of color patterns has relied primarily on correlational evidence, i.e., gene expression patterns in a developing wing mapping closely to the adult color pattern. The use of transgenic techniques in the Lepidoptera, including the manipulation of gene expression, will finally allow researchers to test hypotheses of gene function at various levels of the patterning hierarchy, from signaling ligands and transcription factors to pigment enzymes. Here we present an overview of transgenic techniques employed in lepidopteran systems and highlight areas where current and future research will provide exciting opportunities to deepen our understanding of the mechanisms of morphological evolution.