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Rodriguez-Valle M, McAlister S, Moolhuijzen PM, Booth M, Agnew K, Ellenberger C, Knowles AG, Vanhoff K, Bellgard MI, Tabor AE. Immunomic Investigation of Holocyclotoxins to Produce the First Protective Anti-Venom Vaccine Against the Australian Paralysis Tick, Ixodes holocyclus. Front Immunol 2021; 12:744795. [PMID: 34671357 PMCID: PMC8522651 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.744795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Venom producing animals are ubiquitously disseminated among vertebrates and invertebrates such as fish, snakes, scorpions, spiders, and ticks. Of the ~890 tick species worldwide, 27 have been confirmed to cause paralysis in mammalian hosts. The Australian paralysis tick (Ixodes holocyclus) is the most potent paralyzing tick species known. It is an indigenous three host tick species that secretes potent neurotoxins known as holocyclotoxins (HTs). Holocyclotoxins cause a severe and harmful toxicosis leading to a rapid flaccid paralysis which can result in death of susceptible hosts such as dogs. Antivenins are generally polyclonal antibody treatments developed in sheep, horses or camels to administer following bites from venomous creatures. Currently, the methods to prevent or treat tick paralysis relies upon chemical acaricide preventative treatments or prompt removal of all ticks attached to the host followed by the administration of a commercial tick-antiserum (TAS) respectively. However, these methods have several drawbacks such as poor efficacies, non-standardized dosages, adverse effects and are expensive to administer. Recently the I. holocyclus tick transcriptome from salivary glands and viscera reported a large family of 19 holocyclotoxins at 38-99% peptide sequence identities. A pilot trial demonstrated that correct folding of holocyclotoxins is needed to induce protection from paralysis. The immunogenicity of the holocyclotoxins were measured using commercial tick antiserum selecting HT2, HT4, HT8 and HT11 for inclusion into the novel cocktail vaccine. A further 4 HTs (HT1, HT12, HT14 and HT17) were added to the cocktail vaccine to ensure that the sequence variation among the HT protein family was encompassed in the formulation. A second trial comparing the cocktail of 8 HTs to a placebo group demonstrated complete protection from tick challenge. Here we report the first successful anti-venom vaccine protecting dogs from tick paralysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Rodriguez-Valle
- Centre for Animal Science, The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture & Food Innovation, St. Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Sonia McAlister
- Centre for Animal Science, The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture & Food Innovation, St. Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | | | - Mitchell Booth
- Centre for Animal Science, The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture & Food Innovation, St. Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Kim Agnew
- Paul Dick & Associates Ltd, Castle Hill, NSW, Australia
| | - Claudia Ellenberger
- Elanco Animal Health, Yarrandoo Research and Development Centre, Kemps Creek, NSW, Australia
| | | | - Kathleen Vanhoff
- Elanco Animal Health, Yarrandoo Research and Development Centre, Kemps Creek, NSW, Australia
| | - Matthew I Bellgard
- eResearch Office, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Ala E Tabor
- Centre for Animal Science, The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture & Food Innovation, St. Lucia, QLD, Australia.,School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, Australia
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Pienaar R, Neitz AWH, Mans BJ. Tick Paralysis: Solving an Enigma. Vet Sci 2018; 5:E53. [PMID: 29757990 PMCID: PMC6024606 DOI: 10.3390/vetsci5020053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2018] [Revised: 05/04/2018] [Accepted: 05/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In comparison to other arachnids, ticks are major vectors of disease, but less than 8% of the known species are capable of inducing paralysis, as compared to the ~99⁻100% arachnids that belong to venomous classes. When considering the potential monophyly of venomous Arachnida, this review reflects on the implications regarding the classification of ticks as venomous animals and the possible origin of toxins. The origin of tick toxins is compared with scorpion and spider toxins and venoms based on their significance, functionality, and structure in the search to find homologous venomous characters. Phenotypic evaluation of paralysis, as caused by different ticks, demonstrated the need for expansion on existing molecular data of pure isolated tick toxins because of differences and discrepancies in available data. The use of in-vivo, in-vitro, and in-silico assays for the purification and characterization of paralysis toxins were critically considered, in view of what may be considered to be a paralysis toxin. Purified toxins should exhibit physiologically relevant activity to distinguish them from other tick-derived proteins. A reductionist approach to identify defined tick proteins will remain as paramount in the search for defined anti-paralysis vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronel Pienaar
- Epidemiology, Parasites and Vectors, Agricultural Research Council⁻Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Onderstepoort, Pretoria 0110, South Africa.
- Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, Pretoria 0110, South Africa.
| | - Albert W H Neitz
- Division of Biochemistry, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, Pretoria 0028, South Africa.
| | - Ben J Mans
- Epidemiology, Parasites and Vectors, Agricultural Research Council⁻Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Onderstepoort, Pretoria 0110, South Africa.
- Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, Pretoria 0110, South Africa.
- Department of Life and Consumer Sciences, University of South Africa, Florida, Johannesburg 1710, South Africa.
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Rodriguez-Valle M, Moolhuijzen P, Barrero RA, Ong CT, Busch G, Karbanowicz T, Booth M, Clark R, Koehbach J, Ijaz H, Broady K, Agnew K, Knowles AG, Bellgard MI, Tabor AE. Transcriptome and toxin family analysis of the paralysis tick, Ixodes holocyclus. Int J Parasitol 2018; 48:71-82. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2017.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2017] [Revised: 07/26/2017] [Accepted: 07/31/2017] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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Karbanowicz T, Dover E, Mu X, Tabor A, Rodriguez-Valle M. Extracellular expression of the HT1 neurotoxin from the Australian paralysis tick in two Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains. Toxicon 2017; 140:1-10. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2017.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2017] [Revised: 10/09/2017] [Accepted: 10/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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Stutzer C, Mans BJ, Gaspar ARM, Neitz AWH, Maritz-Olivier C. Ornithodoros savignyi: soft tick apyrase belongs to the 5'-nucleotidase family. Exp Parasitol 2009; 122:318-27. [PMID: 19393241 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2009.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2009] [Revised: 04/03/2009] [Accepted: 04/09/2009] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Salivary apyrases are nucleotide-metabolising enzymes that blood-feeding parasites utilise for modulation of extracellular nucleotides to prevent platelet activation and aggregation. In this study a 5'-nucleotidase specific degenerate primer was used to identify homologous transcripts from Ornithodoros savignyi salivary gland cDNA. Two 5'-nucleotidase isoforms that share significant sequence identity to putative apyrases from Rhipicephalus appendiculatus and Ixodes scapularis were identified. Structure prediction showed a tertiary structure similar to periplasmic ecto-5'-nucleotidase from Escherichia coli, with high conservation of functional residues. The O. savignyi 5'-nucleotidase isoform I was recombinantly expressed in Pichia pastoris. Cross-reactivity was demonstrated with polyclonal anti-apyrase antisera produced against O. savignyi apyrase. Subsequent Edman sequencing and MS/MS analysis of purified O. savignyi apyrase identified peptide sequence fragments that shared sequence identity with both newly identified 5'-nucleotidase isoforms. It was concluded that wild-type apyrase is a mixture of the isoforms identified from the salivary glands of O. savignyi. These results represent the first confirmation of a soft (argasid) tick apyrase that belongs to the 5'-nucleotidase family of enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Stutzer
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
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Mans BJ, Gothe R, Neitz AWH. Biochemical perspectives on paralysis and other forms of toxicoses caused by ticks. Parasitology 2006; 129 Suppl:S95-111. [PMID: 15938507 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182003004670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Tick toxicoses, of which paralysis is the most widespread and dominant form, are important elements of pathogenesis induced by ticks. Tick paralysis is the most widespread and dominant form of tick toxicoses. Non-paralytic forms of tick toxicoses do occur and evidence suggests that these forms of toxicoses are not evolutionary related. While functional significance has been suggested for tick toxins, the advantages for tick survival in general are not clear. This review considers the molecular nature of tick toxins, the possibility that tick toxins have originated more than once independently and whether these toxins could have unrecognized benign functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- B J Mans
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
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Mans BJ, Steinmann CML, Venter JD, Louw AI, Neitz AWH. Pathogenic mechanisms of sand tampan toxicoses induced by the tick, Ornithodoros savignyi. Toxicon 2002; 40:1007-16. [PMID: 12076655 DOI: 10.1016/s0041-0101(02)00098-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The tick, Ornithodoros savignyi has been implicated in inducing paralysis and tampan toxicosis. In this study, a basic toxin (TSGP4) was identified and the presence of an acidic toxin (TSGP2) was confirmed. Both basic and acidic toxins were more lethal than previously described, with TSGP4 (34microg) and TSGP2 (24microg) causing mortality of adult mice within 30min. Pathological effects on the cardiac system, notably of salivary gland extract on an isolated rat heart perfusion system and of purified toxins on mouse electrocardiogram patterns could be observed. TSGP4 caused Mobitz type ventricular block, while TSGP2 induced ventricular tachycardia. Conversely, fractions from reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography preparations caused paralysis-like symptoms of the limbs after only 48h. The toxins also differ from previously described tick paralysis toxins in terms of molecular behavior and properties. These results indicate that tampan toxicoses and tick paralysis are unrelated pathogenic phenomena.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben J Mans
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Pretoria, South Africa
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