AUTHOR=Gao Yi , Zhang Xiaojun , Yuan Jianbo , Zhang Chengsong , Li Shihao , Li Fuhua 

TITLE=CRISPR/Cas9-mediated mutation on an insulin-like peptide encoding gene affects the growth of the ridgetail white prawn Exopalaemon carinicauda

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Endocrinology

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/endocrinology/articles/10.3389/fendo.2022.986491

DOI=10.3389/fendo.2022.986491

ISSN=1664-2392

ABSTRACT=<p>Insulin-like peptides (ILPs) play key roles in animal growth, metabolism and reproduction in vertebrates. In crustaceans, one type of ILPs, insulin-like androgenic gland hormone (IAG) had been reported to be related to the sex differentiations. However, the function of other types of ILPs is rarely reported. Here, we identified another type of ILPs in the ridgetail white prawn <italic>Exopalaemon carinicauda</italic> (<italic>EcILP</italic>), which is an ortholog of <italic>Drosophila melanogaster</italic> ILP7. Sequence characterization and expression analyses showed that <italic>EcILP</italic> is similar to vertebrate insulin/IGFs and insect ILPs in its heterodimeric structure and expression profile. Using CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology, we generated <italic>EcILP</italic> knockout (KO) prawns. <italic>EcILP</italic>-KO individuals have a significant higher growth-inhibitory trait and mortality than those in the normal group. In addition, knockdown of <italic>EcILP</italic> by RNA interference (RNAi) resulted in slower growth rate and higher mortality. These results indicated that <italic>EcILP</italic> was an important growth regulator in <italic>E. carinicauda</italic>.</p>