The Waiting

I’m waiting anxiously to get some RNA-seq data back from the sequencing provider. This data will allow me to construct a transcriptome from the Antarctic copepod Calanus propinquus, to see how gene expression changes with environmental conditions, and to learn how these animals vary their physiology in response to food availability. This copepod is particularly interesting to me because unlike many Calanus species, it typically stays active all winter, feeding opportunistically on whatever it can find. We already know that this species biochemically different from Arctic species of Calanus and Antarctic copepods that rely more heavily on dormancy. It stores different chemical classes of lipids and even has a different ionic composition in its bodily fluids. How has the gene complement changed to accommodate these differences, and how do these genes respond when the environment changes. I think there are some fascinating answers out there….But I want to know NOW!!!