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Sains Malaysiana 55(9)(2026): 1441-1453
http://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2026-5509-03
Sex-Specific Transcriptomic
Profiling of the Perfectly Synchronous Flashing Fireflies Pteroptyx tener (Coleoptera, Lampyridae)
(Pemprofilan Transkriptomik Khusus Jantina bagiKelipan Sinkroni SempurnaKelip-Kelip Pteroptyx tener (Coleoptera, Lampyridae))
AMIRAH MOHAMMAD-SIDIK1,2,
NUR KHAIRUNNISA SALLEH1, KOK KEONG LOKE2, NORELA SULAIMAN1,
MOHD FIRDAUS-RAIH2,3,4,5 & CHYAN LEONG NG2,5,6,*
1Department
of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600
UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
2Institute
of Systems Biology (INBIOSIS), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
3Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia Received: 31 October
2025/Accepted: 19 August 2026
*Corresponding author; email:
clng@ukm.edu.my
Abstract
The firefly species Pteroptyx tener is well known for its precisely synchronous
male flashing behaviour at night, while females do not exhibit this trait.
However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this synchronisation by males
remain largely unknown. To understand the genetic basis of this firefly synchronous
flashing, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was performed on samples
from males and females of P. tener collected
during the day and at night, generating approximately 43 to 50 million reads
per sample with over 90% of bases achieving a Phred quality score above 30. Due
to the lack of a reference genome for this species, de novo assembly
of the sequencing data was conducted resulting in 160,894 total transcripts.
Raw data (FASTQ) were deposited in the NCBI Sequence Read Archive (SRA) with
the accession number PRJNA1242504. The discovery of a hidden-break in
28S rRNA highlighted the need for revised RNA integrity assessment protocols
for arthropod species, as standard RIN-based metrics might yield misleading
results. Differential expression analysis showed a list of 151 genes
consistently upregulated in male night samples compared to all other groups
under a false discovery rate p-value threshold of less than 0.05. Within
this group, the top 20 upregulated genes exhibited maximum log2 fold
change values between 10 and 12. The study indicated that the overall
transcriptomic profile in P. tener was
influenced by sex rather than by sampling time. This finding suggests
potential sex-specific regulation of genes involved in bioluminescence and
signalling. This identification of differentially expressed genes and key
molecular pathways is potentially crucial for the firefly species with
synchronous flashing behaviour, offering new avenues for future functional and
evolutionary studies on firefly communication. Additionally, it offers
insights into sex-specific transcriptomic differences that may influence other
biological processes in P. tener.
Keywords: Fireflies; Pteroptyx tener; RNA-seq; sex;
synchronous flashing
Abstrak
Kelip-kelip jantan species Pteroptyx tener terkenal dengan ciri kelipan sinkroni pada waktu malam, manakala kelip-kelip betina tidak menunjukkan ciri tersebut. Namun begitu, mekanisme molekul yang mendasari kelipan sinkroni oleh jenis jantan masih belum diketahui dengan jelas. Bagi memahami asas genetik kelipan sinkroni kelip-kelip, penjujukan RNA (RNA-seq) telah dijalankan ke atas sampel jantan dan betina P. tener yang diambil pada waktu siang dan malam, menghasilkan kira-kira 43 hingga 50 juta bacaan setiap sampel dengan lebih 90% bes mencapai skor kualiti Phred melebihi 30. Disebabkan ketiadaan genom rujukan bagi spesies ini, himpunan semula data penjujukan secara de novo telah dilakukan yang menghasilkan 160,894 transkrip.
Data mentah (FASTQ) telah disimpan dalam NCBI Sequence
Read Archive (SRA) dengan nombor akses PRJNA1242504. Penemuan pecahan tersembunyi pada
28S rRNA menekankan keperluan untuk menyemak semula protokol penilaian kualiti RNA bagi spesies artropod,
kerana metrik berasaskan RIN semata-mata mungkin memberikan keputusan yang mengelirukan. Analisis pembezaan pengekspresan menyenaraikan 151 gen dengan pengekspresan yang tinggi dalam sampel jantan pada waktu malam berbanding semua sampel lain dengan nilai p kadar penemuan palsu kurang daripada 0.05. Dalam kumpulan sampel ini, 20 gen teratas yang diekspreskan dengan tinggi menunjukkan nilai perubahan log2 kali ganda maksimum antara 10 hingga 12. Kajian ini menunjukkan bahawa profil transkriptom keseluruhan P. tener lebih dipengaruhi oleh faktor jantina berbanding masa pensampelan. Keputusan ini mencadangkan kemungkinan wujudnya pengawalaturan khusus jantina bagi gen yang terlibat dalam biopendarkilau dan pengisyaratan. Pengenalpastian gen yang diekspreskan secara berbeza dan tapak jalan molekul utama ini penting untuk spesies kelip-kelip yang mempunyai sifat sinkroni kelipan bagi membuka peluang baharu untuk kajian fungsian dan evolusi komunikasi kelip-kelip pada masa hadapan. Tambahan pula, keputusan ini turut memberikan pandangan baharu terhadap perbezaan transkriptom khusus jantina yang mungkin mempengaruhi proses biologi lain dalam P. tener.
Kata kunci: Jantina; kelipan sinkroni; kelip-kelip; penjujukan RNA; Pteroptyx tener
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