Cathepsin L is an important member of the cysteine protease family and has a central role in the development of ovaries in insects and fish. In this study, we analyzed the characteristics of the cathepsin L1 gene in the female oriental river prawn, Macrobrachium nipponense. The cathepsin L1 cDNA was 1173 bp in length, including a 960 bp open reading frame that encoded 319 amino acids. The cathepsin L1 gene was classified into the cathepsin L group and named Mn-CTS L1 by phylogenetic analysis. qRT-PCR analysis indicated that Mn-CTS L1 was highly expressed in the hepatopancreas and ovaries of female prawns. During the different stages of ovarian development, Mn-CTS L1 expression in the hepatopancreas and ovaries peaked before ovarian maturation. Mn-CTS L1 expression was higher at the post-larval stage of day 15 than at other stages of embryogenesis. In situ hybridization studies revealed that Mn-CTS L1 was localized in the oocyte of the ovary. Injection of Mn-CTS L1 dsRNA significantly reduced Mn-CTS L1 expression and significantly increased the expression of vitellogenin. Changes in the gonad somatic index also confirmed the inhibitory effects of Mn-CTS L1 dsRNA. These results suggest that Mn-CTS L1 has a key role in ovarian development.

组织蛋白酶L是半胱氨酸蛋白酶家族的重要成员，在昆虫和鱼类卵巢的发育中具有重要作用。在这项研究中，我们分析了雌性东方河虾日本沼虾组织蛋白酶L1基因的特征。的组织蛋白酶L1的cDNA的长度为1173个碱基，包括编码319个氨基酸的960 bp的开放阅读框。通过系统进化分析，将组织蛋白酶L1基因分类为组织蛋白酶L组，并将其命名为Mn-CTS L1。qRT-PCR分析表明，Mn-CTS L1在雌虾的肝胰腺和卵巢中高表达。在卵巢发育的不同阶段，Mn-CTS L1在卵巢成熟之前，肝胰腺和卵巢中的表达达到高峰。在第15天的幼虫后阶段，Mn-CTS L1表达高于在胚胎发生的其他阶段。原位杂交研究表明，Mn-CTS L1位于卵巢的卵母细胞中。注射Mn-CTS L1 dsRNA可以显着降低Mn-CTS L1的表达，并显着增加卵黄蛋白原的表达。性腺体细胞指数的变化也证实了Mn-CTS L1 dsRNA的抑制作用。这些结果表明，Mn-CTS L1在卵巢发育中具有关键作用。