Thermosensory-transient receptor potential channels and thermal avoidance behavior in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum

Temperature is an important environmental factor affecting survival of living organisms, especially heterothermic ones like insects. We are interested in thermosensory-mediated behavioral responses in insects, both in terms of their genetic basis and physiological responses. We have chosen to study the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum herbst.(Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), for which genomic, behavioral, and ecological information is available. In Drosophila melanogaster, thermosensory transient receptor potential (TRP) channels have been described. We analyzed the phylogeny of TRPs in D. melanogaster, T. castaneum, and humans. Based on phylogenetic relationship, three TRPs - pyrexia (TC09731), painless (TC007561), and trpA1 (TC002449) - were selected and individually subjected to RNA interference to test function of each in thermosensory-mediated behavioral responses in T. castaneum. The behavioral responses were examined by the time spent in two different temperature zones (39°C and 30 °C).