The sORF-Encoded Peptides, ATP Synthase Subunits, Facilitate WSSV Duplication in Shrimp

Short open reading frames (sORFs) are a newly identified family of genes, and the functions of most sORF genes and their encoded peptides (SEPs) are still unknown. In this study, two ATP synthase subunits were identified in kuruma shrimp ( ) as SEPs, namely ATP5I and ATP5L. They were widely distributed in all of the tested tissues of shrimp and upregulated in hemocytes and intestines in response to WSSV challenge. The injection of recombinant proteins (r ATP5I and r ATP5L) increased the expression of and , while the knockdown of and decreased the expression of and . All of the results suggest that ATP5I and ATP5L were beneficial for WSSV replication. Further exploration found that and RNAi significantly improved the shrimp survival rates, reduced ATP production, and upregulated the expression of antimicrobial peptide genes post viral challenge, and the two ATPase subunits and Relish negatively regulated each other. These results reveal that ATP5I and ATP5L facilitated WSSV duplication by regulating the production of ATP contents and the expression of antimicrobial peptide genes in shrimp.