GENE EXPRESSION ANALYSIS OF SELECTED NEUROPEPTIDES OF THE BEETLE TENEBRIO MOLITOR L. UNDER THERMAL STRESS CONDITIONS

Insects are the most numerous group of animals. One aspect of this wide distribution is the ability of these animals to survive in all environments and temperatures. This success is due to their high ability to tolerate a range of environmental stresses, such as low or high temperatures. Studies show that cold stress affects many physiological processes in insects. The neuroendocrine system and its associated mediators, such as neuropeptides and biogenic amines, play an important role in the regulation of physiological and behavioral processes in insects, and therefore could also potentially affect thermal tolerance. In the experiment, 30-day-old Tenebrio molitor beetles were used. The insects were exposed to heat stress at 40°C and cold at -5°C for one hour. The nervous system was then isolated by microsurgery. Quantification of mRNA levels for genes encoding neuropeptides such as allatostatin type C (PISCF), short neuropeptide F (sNPF) and tachykinin-related peptide (TRP) was measured by RT-qPCR. During temperature stress, both cold and heat, expression of tested genes is significantly changed in nervous tissues (brain and ventral nerve cord) of T. molitor.