Decoding the genomic terrain: functional insights into 14 chemosensory proteins in whitefly Bemisia tabaci Asia II-1

Genome-wide analysis of Bemisia tabaci Asia II-1 unravelled for the first-time full-length sequences of 14 chemosensory proteins (CSPs), their exon-intron boundaries, insertion sites of retrotransposons, and clustering patterns on chromosomes. All the CSPs sans CSP6 have an N-terminal signal peptide. The presence of OS-D superfamily and PhBP domains in different CSPs suggests their roles in chemosensory signal transduction and pheromone binding. Motif analysis reveals the conservation and cohesiveness of CSPs in hemiptera. The phylogenetic analysis uncovers the evolutionary lineages of Hemipteran CSPs. RT-qPCR analysis showed spatial expression of CSPs in different body tissues of B. tabaci adults. In-silico docking analysis showed high-affinity binding of CSP 1 and 5 with two insecticides, imidacloprid and fipronil, with energy values ranging from - 5.8 to -9.3 kcal/mol, along with the details of interacting aminoacidic residues in the hydrophobic binding pockets of these two CSPs. Further functional validation was done through insecticide bioassays and RNAi. This study provides novel insights into the genomic architecture of CSPs in B. tabaci Asia II-1, and functional characterisation suggests that CSP1 and 5 genes may have indirect roles in insecticide resistance. It lays the foundation for further research on developing new control strategies for B. tabaci.