LAUSR

Abstract The life cycle of holometabolous insects involves different stages and cathepsin plays an important role in insect metamorphosis. In the present study, we investigated the function of Bombyx mori cathepsin-L (Bm-CatL) during metamorphosis and analyzed their role in programmed cell death (PCD) of the fat body. The results showed that knockdown of Bm-CatL by RNA interference led to abnormal pupation and a delay in fat body degradation during metamorphosis. Furthermore, PCD inhibition was observed in the fat body after downregulation of Bm-CatL. To confirm this finding, PCD was induced in Bombyx mori embryonic (BmE) cells by ultraviolet ray irradiation. We found that the PCD of BmE cells was weakened after knocking down Bm-CatL. Moreover, overexpression of Bm-CatL in cells promoted PCD. Overall, our results showed that Bm-CatL is involved in the degradation of internal tissues and promotes the PCD of cells involved in the pupation of silkworms. Thus, this study provides us with a better understanding for function of cathepsin-L during metamorphosis.