PCE3 Plays a Role in the Reproduction of Male .

proclotting enzymes (PCEs) belong to the clip domain serine protease (clip-SP) family, which is a characteristic protease family in arthropods. was previously reported to regulate egg production and development in female , but its role in male is unclear. In the present study, qPCR analysis showed that was expressed in three different tissues (gut, testis and fat body). RNAi revealed that ds injection made the male vas deferens thinner and reduced the oviposition level of the females that mated with ds-treated males, causing eggs not to hatch. Furthermore, immunofluorescence staining showed that PCE3 was widely expressed in the male internal genitalia. However, after ds injection, expression of PCE3 was diffuse in the male internal genitalia, whose peripheral cells seemed degraded. Overall, these results indicate that is important for reproduction in male .