| Summary: | Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is a stress-inducible enzyme with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic effects. In this study, the <i>HO-1</i> gene from <i>Litopenaeus vannamei</i> (<i>Lv-HO-1</i>) was identified. The open reading frame of <i>Lv-HO-1</i> is 747 bp, encoding a peptide of 248 amino acids as well as a conserved HemO structural domain. Lv-HO-1 is 70–90% homological to crustaceans and about 50% homological to arthropods. The transcript levels of <i>Lv-HO-1</i> were highest in the hepatopancreas and lower in other tissues. Knockdown of <i>Lv-HO-1</i> led to structural destruction of the hepatopancreas. After ammonia exposure, <i>Lv-HO-1</i> was significantly induced. Knockdown of <i>Lv-HO-1</i> during ammonia exposure resulted in a significant decrease in antioxidant capacity and cellular autophagy levels compared to the control and increased apoptosis. The transcriptional levels of <i>SOD</i> and <i>GSH-Px</i> were considerably reduced (<i>p</i> < 0.05), as were the transcriptional levels of <i>Atg3</i>, <i>Atg4</i>, <i>Atg5</i>, and <i>Atg10</i>. The results indicated that <i>Lv-HO-1</i> from <i>L. vannamei</i> can be induced by oxidative stress and may have important roles in regulating the host antioxidant system, reducing cell apoptosis.
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