Abstract:
E75 is an important regulator of the ecdysone signaling pathway in shrimp. In order to gain insight into the structure and function of this gene, we screened and analyzed all
E75 gene transcripts based on the transcriptome and genome data of
Litopenaeus vannamei, and identified 6 alternatively spliced
LvE75 isoforms (named
LvE75-1,
LvE75-2,
LvE75-3,
LvE75-4,
LvE75-5 and
LvE75-6). LvE75-1/2/4/5/6 contained DBD and LBD domains consistent with E75A/C of
Drosophila melanogaster, and
LvE75-3 only had LBD domains consistent with Drosophila E75D. During molting process,
LvE75
s were highly expressed in D3–D4 stage. In adult tissues, various isoforms of
LvE75 were expressed in all tissues and were highly expressed in the epidermis, gut and gill, with only
LvE75-3 being highly expressed in hepatopancreas, blood cells and lymphoid tissues. According to the conserved domain sequence, we designed primers for double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) interference. In
LvE75 gene RNAi samples, qRT-PCR results showed that
spo,
phm and
dib were down-regulated, and
shd was up-regulated, indicating that
LvE75 might regulate
Halloween genes to influence ecdysone synthesis.
Br-C and
Ftz-f1 were down-regulated and
HR3 was up-regulated after
LvE75 were interfered, indicating
LvE75 might influence the downstream early response genes of ecdysone signal pathway. After continued interference in
LvE75 for 12 days, the molting rate was significantly lower compared with control group, but the death rate of dsLvE75 group was significantly higher, suggesting
LvE75 gene played an important role in shrimp molting and survival.