Transcriptomic studies lend insights into the role of transcriptional plasticity in adaptation and specialization. Recently, there has been growing interest in understanding the relationship between variation in herbivorous insect gene expression and the evolution of diet breadth. We review the studies that have emerged on insect gene expression and host plant use, and outline the questions and approaches in the field. Many candidate genes underlying herbivory and specialization have been identified, and a few key studies demonstrate increased transcriptional plasticity associated with generalist compared with specialist species. Addressing the roles that transcriptional variation plays in insect diet breadth will have important implications for our understanding of the evolution of specialization and the genetic and environmental factors that govern insect-plant interactions.

中文翻译：

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植物饲养昆虫中的基因表达和饮食宽度：趋势概述。

转录组学研究使人们对转录可塑性在适应性和专业化中的作用有了更深入的了解。最近，人们越来越了解草食性昆虫基因表达的变异与饮食宽度的演变之间的关系。我们回顾了有关昆虫基因表达和宿主植物使用的研究，并概述了该领域的问题和方法。已经发现了许多草食性和专业化的候选基因，一些关键研究表明，与专业物种相比，与通才有关的转录可塑性增强。