Recently, researchers at State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection (IPP) of CAAS, have a new finding on invasive Bemisia tabaci Middle East Asia Minor 1 (MEAM 1) Cryptic Species about the characterization of transient receptor potential (TRP) gene and its high temperature tolerance physiological function. The research results have been published online in PLOS ONE on September 25, 2014.

The B. tabaci MEAM 1 cryptic species is the first major global invasion event and has strong ability to tolerate exposure to extreme temperatures. Temperature is an important factor in affecting population dynamics and diffusion distribution of organisms. The TRP is one of the key components of an organism’s temperature perception system and plays important roles in perceiving temperature.
                           Transmembrane structure prediction of                                  The effect of dsRNA BtTRP on the heat tolerant ability 
                        the BtTRP protein in Bemisia tabaci MEAM1                                             of Bemisia tabaci MEAM1 adults

In this study, it was the first to characterize BtTRP in invasive B. tabaci MEAM1 and the mRNA expression profile during different temperature stress conditions and under high temperature stress in a physiological model. The result of feeding BtTRP dsRNA showed that MEAM1 BtTRP is a key element in sensing high temperature and plays a key role in B. tabaci MEAM1 heat tolerance ability. Our data improved our understanding of the mechanism of temperature sensation in B. tabaci MEAM1 at the molecular level and could contribute to the understanding of the thermal biology of B. tabaci MEAM1 within the context of global climate change.

More details are available on the bellow links:
http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0108428