Mother knows best: Unraveling the transcriptome of female desert locust accessory gland after mating

The desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria, displays one of the most prominent examples of phenotypic plasticity among insects. An increase in local population density causes shy, sedentary, and cryptic individuals (solitarious phase) to transform into highly active, gregarious, and conspicuous locusts (gregarious phase) that can migrate en masse. These traits fluctuate based on local population density and are also known to be passed down via a maternal effect. The mother’s experience of density at the time of oviposition affects the developmental trajectory of her offspring, leading them into a different phase state. An active compound in their egg foam produced by the female locusts' accessory glands and reproductive tract may be responsible for the phase status of the hatchlings. Here we sampled and compared the transcriptome profiles of female S. gregaria accessory glands after mating while experiencing different density conditions. Statistical differences in gene expression of locust phases may be a potential target for other studies.