Gene Co-expression Modules Underlying Polymorphic and Monomorphic Zooids in the Colonial Hydrozoan, Hydractinia symbiolongicarpus

Advances in sequencing technology have forced a quantitative revolution in Evolutionary Biology. One important feature of this renaissance is that comprehensive genomic resources can be obtained quickly for almost any taxon, thus speeding the development of new model organisms. Here, we analyze 20 RNA-seq libraries from morphologically, sexually, and genetically distinct polyp types from the gonochoristic colonial hydrozoan, Hydractinia symbiolongicarpus (Cnidaria). Analyses of these data using weighted gene co-expression networks highlight deeply conserved genetic elements of animal spermatogenesis and demonstrate the utility of these methods in identifying modules of genes that correlate with different zooid types across various statistical contrasts. RNA-seq data and analytical scripts described here are deposited in publicly available databases.