Cathepsin L Contributes to Reproductive Diapause by Regulating Lipid Storage and Survival of Coccinella septempunctata (Linnaeus)

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences Vol. 24; no. 1; p. 611
• Main Authors: Chen, Junjie, Guo, Penghui, Li, Yuyan, He, Weiwei, Chen, Wanbin, Shen, Zhongjian, Zhang, Maosen, Mao, Jianjun, Zhang, Lisheng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI 29.12.2022; MDPI AG
• Subjects: cathepsin L; Coccinella septempunctata; diapause; lipid accumulation; survival rate; diapause; survival rate; Coccinella septempunctata; cathepsin L; lipid accumulation
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms24010611

Cathepsin L protease, which belongs to the papain-like cysteine proteases family, is an important player in many physiological and pathological processes. However, little was known about the role of in ladybird beetles ( Linnaeus) during diapause. Here, we analyzed the characteristics of ( ) in the females of and its role during the diapause of the ladybeetle. was cloned and identified from beetle specimens by rapid amplification of cDNA-ends (RACE). The cDNA sequence of was 971 bp in length, including an 843 bp open reading frame encoding a protein of 280 amino acids. It was identified as the group by phylogenetic analysis. Knockdown of by RNA interference led to decreased expression levels of fatty acid synthase 2 (fas 2) genes and suppressed lipid accumulation. Furthermore, silencing the gene distinctly reduced diapause-related features and the survival of female under diapause-inducing conditions. The results suggested that the gene was involved in fatty acid biosynthesis and played a crucial role in the survival of adult during the diapause preparation stage.