Abstract: By using methods for insect ecology and SDS-PAGE techniques, the thermotolerance, constituents and contents of heat shock proteins (HSPs) were investigated after the avermectin-resistant and -susceptible strains of Tetranychus cinnabarinus were subjected to heat stress. The results showed that the non-lethal heat-hardening could significantly enhance the ability of tolerance to utmost temperature. After heat shock treatment under different temperatures, the components and contents of HSPs in the two mite strains changed obviously. Compared with the avermectin-resistant strain, eight protein bands were absent in susceptible strain under normal rearing conditions. After heat shock treatment, five additional proteins bands (97.2, 74.3, 62.4, 53.0 and 30.3 kDa) were detected in the susceptible strain. Although no specific protein bands were detected in the resistant strain after heat shock treatment, the expressions of some proteins increased with the continued heat stress. The results may help to explain advantages of the resistant strains of T. cinnabarinu in the fitness to high temperatures.

Key words: Tetranychus cinnabarinus, avermectin, resistant strain, susceptible strain, heat shock response, heat shock proteins (HSPs)