A Clip Domain Serine Protease Involved in Egg Production in : Expression Patterns and RNA Interference.

Clip domain serine proteases play vital roles in various innate immune functions and in embryonic development. proclotting enzymes (PCEs) belong to this protease family. was reported to be involved in innate immunity, whereas the role of other is unclear. In the present study, () was cloned and characterized. PCE3 contains a signal peptide, a clip domain, and a trypsin-like serine protease domain. was expressed in all tissues examined (gut, fat body, and ovary), and at all developmental stages. Immunofluorescence staining showed that PCE3 was mainly expressed in the cytoplasm and cytomembrane of follicular cells. Double stranded RNA interference clearly inhibited the expression of , resulting in abnormal egg formation and obstruction of ovulation. These results indicate that PCE3 plays an important role in egg production in .