Comparative transcriptome analysis provides a glance into the regulatory of insulin-like peptide 1 gene in the Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei

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Insulin-like peptides (ILPs) have been reported to exert significant and diverse regulatory effects through the insulin signaling pathway in invertebrates. However, there is a large research gap in the functional analysis of ILP genes in crustaceans. In this study, we combined RNA interference (RNAi) technology with transcriptome sequencing to investigate the regulatory effects of the ILP1 gene in the Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei. After two weeks of continuous RNAi of LvILP1, the shrimp in the dsLvILP1 group exhibited reduced body length gain, weight gain, molting rate, and hemolymph glucose concentration compared to the control dsEGFP group, indicating that knockdown of LvILP1 slowed shrimp growth, molting, and metabolism. Comparative transcriptome analysis of three tissues revealed that knockdown of LvILP1 inhibited muscle growth and development by modulating the mTOR and MAPK signaling pathways, and prevented the renewal of epidermal tissue through the Hippo signaling pathway. Meanwhile, it also suppressed certain growth signals in the hepatopancreas, such as juvenile hormone (JH) synthesis and 20-hydroxyecdysteroid (20E) signal activation. Additionally, it promoted the conversion pathway of some sugars into amino acid metabolism instead of energy metabolism after glycolysis in the hepatopancreas. Interestingly, knockdown of LvILP1 also affected carbohydrate metabolism by regulating the intracellular and extracellular transport of glucose and trehalose, as well as regulating the expression levels of key metabolic genes in three shrimp tissues. This disruption led to a decrease in blood glucose levels and suppressed energy production, ultimately providing less energy for shrimp growth and molting. This study provides valuable insights into the underlying genetic mechanism through which ILP1 regulates glucose metabolism and growth in shrimp. It enhances our understanding of the structure and function of the insulin pathway in crustaceans and serves as an important reference for the identification of candidate genes in molecular genetic breeding of shrimp.