Peromyscus transcriptomics: Understanding adaptation and gene expression plasticity within and between species of deer mice

Deer mice in the genus Peromyscus occupy nearly every terrestrial habitat in North America, and have a long history as subjects of behavioral, ecological, evolutionary, and physiological study. Recent advances in transcriptomics, the study of the complete set of RNA transcripts produced by certain cell types or under certain conditions, have contributed to the development of Peromyscus as a model system. We review the recent use of transcriptomics to investigate how natural selection and gene expression plasticity contribute to the existence of deer mice in challenging environments such as highlands, deserts, and cities across North America. Transcriptomics also holds great promise for elucidating the genetic basis of mating systems and other behaviors in Peromyscus, but has to date been underutilized for developmental biology and disease studies. Future Peromyscus studies should apply robust comparative frameworks to analyze the transcriptomics of multiple populations of the same species across varying environmental conditions, as well as multiple species that vary in traits of interest.