Immunization against arthropod protein impairs transmission of rickettsial pathogen from ticks to the vertebrate host

Mahesh, Paschapur; Namjoshi, Prachi; Sultana, Hameeda; Neelakanta, Girish

doi:10.1038/s41541-023-00678-y

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 54 publications

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“…RNAi interference is a widely used technique in addressing the role of tick genes in blood feeding and pathogen interactions [16,17,20,35,[41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50]. Our study provided evidence for the use of an in vitro feeding system to knockdown gene expression in O. turicata americanus ticks.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%

Anti-tick vaccine candidate subolesin is important for blood feeding and innate immune gene expression in soft ticks

Nandy,

Tamakloe,

Sonenshine

et al. 2023

PLoS Negl Trop Dis

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Subolesin is a conserved molecule in both hard and soft ticks and is considered as an effective candidate molecule for the development of anti-tick vaccine. Previous studies have reported the role of subolesin in blood feeding, reproduction, development, and gene expression in hard ticks. However, studies addressing the role of subolesin in soft ticks are limited. In this study, we report that subolesin is not only important in soft tick Ornithodoros turicata americanus blood feeding but also in the regulation of innate immune gene expression in these ticks. We identified and characterized several putative innate immune genes including Toll, Lysozyme precursor (Lp), fibrinogen-domain containing protein (FDP), cystatin and ML-domain containing protein (MLD) in O. turicata americanus ticks. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed the expression of these genes in both O. turicata americanus salivary glands and midgut and in all developmental stages of these soft ticks. Significantly increased expression of fdp was noted in salivary glands and midgut upon O. turicata americanus blood feeding. Furthermore, RNAi-mediated knockdown of O. turicata americanus subolesin expression affected blood feeding and innate immune gene expression in these ticks. Significant downregulation of toll, lp, fdp, cystatin, and mld transcripts was evident in sub-dsRNA-treated ticks when compared to the levels noted in mock-dsRNA-treated control. Collectively, our study not only reports identification and characterization of various innate immune genes in O. turicata americanus ticks but also provides evidence on the role of subolesin in blood feeding and innate immune gene expression in these medically important ticks.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%

Anti-tick vaccine candidate subolesin is important for blood feeding and innate immune gene expression in soft ticks

Nandy,

Tamakloe,

Sonenshine

et al. 2023

PLoS Negl Trop Dis

Self Cite

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Antibody-blocking of a tick transporter impairs Anaplasma phagocytophilum colonization in Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks

Namjoshi,

Lubembe,

Sultana

et al. 2024

Sci Rep

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The invasive Asian longhorned tick Haemaphysalis longicornis that vectors and transmits several animal pathogens is significantly expanding in the United States. Recent studies report that these ticks also harbor human pathogens including Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Babesia microti, and Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Therefore, studies that address the interactions of these ticks with human pathogens are important. In this study, we report the characterization of H. longicornis organic anion-transporting polypeptides (OATPs) in interactions of these ticks with A. phagocytophilum. Using OATP-signature sequence, we identified six OATPs in the H. longicornis genome. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that H. longicornis OATPs are closer to other tick orthologs rather than to mammalian counterparts. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed that OATPs are highly expressed in immature stages when compared to mature stages of these ticks. In addition, we noted that the presence of A. phagocytophilum upregulates a specific OATP in these ticks. We also noted that exogenous treatment of H. longicornis with xanthurenic acid, a tryptophan metabolite, influenced OATP expression in these ticks. Immunoblotting analysis revealed that antibody generated against Ixodes scapularis OATP cross-reacted with H. longicornis OATP. Furthermore, treatment of H. longicornis with OATP antibody impaired colonization of A. phagocytophilum in these ticks. These results not only provide evidence that the OATP-tryptophan pathway is important for A. phagocytophilum survival in H. longicornis ticks but also indicate OATP as a promising candidate for the development of a universal anti-tick vaccine to target this bacterium and perhaps other rickettsial pathogens of medical importance.

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Immunization against arthropod protein impairs transmission of rickettsial pathogen from ticks to the vertebrate host

Cited by 2 publications

References 54 publications

Anti-tick vaccine candidate subolesin is important for blood feeding and innate immune gene expression in soft ticks

Anti-tick vaccine candidate subolesin is important for blood feeding and innate immune gene expression in soft ticks

Antibody-blocking of a tick transporter impairs Anaplasma phagocytophilum colonization in Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks

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