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Da Lage JL, Fontenelle A, Filée J, Merle M, Béranger JM, Almeida CE, Folly Ramos E, Harry M. Evidence that hematophagous triatomine bugs may eat plants in the wild. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2024; 165:104059. [PMID: 38101706 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2023.104059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Blood feeding is a secondary adaptation in hematophagous bugs. Many proteins are secreted in the saliva that are devoted to coping with the host's defense and to process the blood meal. Digestive enzymes that are no longer required for a blood meal would be expected to be eventually lost. Yet, in many strictly hematophagous arthropods, α-amylase genes, which encode the enzymes that digest starch from plants, are still present and transcribed, including in the kissing bug Rhodnius prolixus (Hemiptera, Reduviidae) and its related species, which transmit the Chagas disease. We hypothesized that retaining α-amylase could be advantageous if the bugs occasionally consume plant tissues. We first checked that the α-amylase protein of Rhodnius robustus retains normal amylolytic activity. Then we surveyed hundreds of gut DNA extracts from the sylvatic R. robustus to detect traces of plants. We found plant DNA in 8% of the samples, mainly identified as Attalea palm trees, where R. robustus are usually found. We suggest that although of secondary importance in the blood-sucking bugs, α-amylase may be needed during occasional plant feeding and thus has been retained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Luc Da Lage
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, IRD, UMR 9191 Évolution, Génomes, Comportement et Écologie, 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
| | - Alice Fontenelle
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, IRD, UMR 9191 Évolution, Génomes, Comportement et Écologie, 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Jonathan Filée
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, IRD, UMR 9191 Évolution, Génomes, Comportement et Écologie, 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Marie Merle
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, IRD, UMR 9191 Évolution, Génomes, Comportement et Écologie, 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Jean-Michel Béranger
- Département Systématique and Evolution, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France; IRD, AP-HM, SSA, VITROME, IHU-Méditerranée Infection, Aix Marseille Université, Marseille, France
| | - Carlos Eduardo Almeida
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Instituto de Biologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Elaine Folly Ramos
- Departamento de Engenharia e Meio Ambiente - DEMA, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa, Brazil
| | - Myriam Harry
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, IRD, UMR 9191 Évolution, Génomes, Comportement et Écologie, 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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Maqbool M, Sajid MS, Saqib M, Anjum FR, Tayyab MH, Rizwan HM, Rashid MI, Rashid I, Iqbal A, Siddique RM, Shamim A, Hassan MA, Atif FA, Razzaq A, Zeeshan M, Hussain K, Nisar RHA, Tanveer A, Younas S, Kamran K, Rahman SU. Potential Mechanisms of Transmission of Tick-Borne Viruses at the Virus-Tick Interface. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:846884. [PMID: 35602013 PMCID: PMC9121816 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.846884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Ticks (Acari; Ixodidae) are the second most important vector for transmission of pathogens to humans, livestock, and wildlife. Ticks as vectors for viruses have been reported many times over the last 100 years. Tick-borne viruses (TBVs) belong to two orders (Bunyavirales and Mononegavirales) containing nine families (Bunyaviridae, Rhabdoviridae, Asfarviridae, Orthomyxovirida, Reoviridae, Flaviviridae, Phenuviridae, Nyamiviridae, and Nairoviridae). Among these TBVs, some are very pathogenic, causing huge mortality, and hence, deserve to be covered under the umbrella of one health. About 38 viral species are being transmitted by <10% of the tick species of the families Ixodidae and Argasidae. All TBVs are RNA viruses except for the African swine fever virus from the family Asfarviridae. Tick-borne viral diseases have also been classified as an emerging threat to public health and animals, especially in resource-poor communities of the developing world. Tick-host interaction plays an important role in the successful transmission of pathogens. The ticks' salivary glands are the main cellular machinery involved in the uptake, settlement, and multiplication of viruses, which are required for successful transmission into the final host. Furthermore, tick saliva also participates as an augmenting tool during the physiological process of transmission. Tick saliva is an important key element in the successful transmission of pathogens and contains different antimicrobial proteins, e.g., defensin, serine, proteases, and cement protein, which are key players in tick-virus interaction. While tick-virus interaction is a crucial factor in the propagation of tick-borne viral diseases, other factors (physiological, immunological, and gut flora) are also involved. Some immunological factors, e.g., toll-like receptors, scavenger receptors, Janus-kinase (JAK-STAT) pathway, and immunodeficiency (IMD) pathway are involved in tick-virus interaction by helping in virus assembly and acting to increase transmission. Ticks also harbor some endogenous viruses as internal microbial faunas, which also play a significant role in tick-virus interaction. Studies focusing on tick saliva and its role in pathogen transmission, tick feeding, and control of ticks using functional genomics all point toward solutions to this emerging threat. Information regarding tick-virus interaction is somewhat lacking; however, this information is necessary for a complete understanding of transmission TBVs and their persistence in nature. This review encompasses insight into the ecology and vectorial capacity of tick vectors, as well as our current understanding of the predisposing, enabling, precipitating, and reinforcing factors that influence TBV epidemics. The review explores the cellular, biochemical, and immunological tools which ensure and augment successful evading of the ticks' defense systems and transmission of the viruses to the final hosts at the virus-vector interface. The role of functional genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics in profiling tick-virus interaction is also discussed. This review is an initial attempt to comprehensively elaborate on the epidemiological determinants of TBVs with a focus on intra-vector physiological processes involved in the successful execution of the docking, uptake, settlement, replication, and transmission processes of arboviruses. This adds valuable data to the existing bank of knowledge for global stakeholders, policymakers, and the scientific community working to devise appropriate strategies to control ticks and TBVs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahvish Maqbool
- Department of Parasitology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Sohail Sajid
- Department of Parasitology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Saqib
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Faisal Rasheed Anjum
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan
- Institute of Microbiology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Haleem Tayyab
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Hafiz Muhammad Rizwan
- Section of Parasitology, Department of Pathobiology, KBCMA College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences Narowal, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Imran Rashid
- Department of Parasitology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Imaad Rashid
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Asif Iqbal
- Section of Parasitology, Department of Pathobiology, Riphah College of Veterinary Sciences, Riphah International University, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Rao Muhammad Siddique
- Section of Parasitology, Department of Pathobiology, Riphah College of Veterinary Sciences, Riphah International University, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Asim Shamim
- Department of Pathobiology, University of the Poonch Rawalakot, Rawalakot, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Adeel Hassan
- Department of Parasitology, Cholistan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Bahawalpur, Pakistan
| | - Farhan Ahmad Atif
- Medicine Section, Department of Clinical Sciences, Collège of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Jhang, Pakistan
- University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Abdul Razzaq
- Agricultural Linkages Program, Pakistan Agriculture Research Council, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Zeeshan
- Department of Parasitology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Kashif Hussain
- Department of Parasitology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | | | - Akasha Tanveer
- Department of Parasitology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Sahar Younas
- Department of Parasitology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Kashif Kamran
- Department of Zoology, University of Balochistan, Quetta, Pakistan
| | - Sajjad ur Rahman
- Institute of Microbiology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan
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Ali A, Zeb I, Alouffi A, Zahid H, Almutairi MM, Ayed Alshammari F, Alrouji M, Termignoni C, Vaz IDS, Tanaka T. Host Immune Responses to Salivary Components - A Critical Facet of Tick-Host Interactions. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:809052. [PMID: 35372098 PMCID: PMC8966233 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.809052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Tick sialome is comprised of a rich cocktail of bioactive molecules that function as a tool to disarm host immunity, assist blood-feeding, and play a vibrant role in pathogen transmission. The adaptation of the tick's blood-feeding behavior has lead to the evolution of bioactive molecules in its saliva to assist them to overwhelm hosts' defense mechanisms. During a blood meal, a tick secretes different salivary molecules including vasodilators, platelet aggregation inhibitors, anticoagulants, anti-inflammatory proteins, and inhibitors of complement activation; the salivary repertoire changes to meet various needs such as tick attachment, feeding, and modulation or impairment of the local dynamic and vigorous host responses. For instance, the tick's salivary immunomodulatory and cement proteins facilitate the tick's attachment to the host to enhance prolonged blood-feeding and to modulate the host's innate and adaptive immune responses. Recent advances implemented in the field of "omics" have substantially assisted our understanding of host immune modulation and immune inhibition against the molecular dynamics of tick salivary molecules in a crosstalk between the tick-host interface. A deep understanding of the tick salivary molecules, their substantial roles in multifactorial immunological cascades, variations in secretion, and host immune responses against these molecules is necessary to control these parasites. In this article, we reviewed updated knowledge about the molecular mechanisms underlying host responses to diverse elements in tick saliva throughout tick invasion, as well as host defense strategies. In conclusion, understanding the mechanisms involved in the complex interactions between the tick salivary components and host responses is essential to decipher the host defense mechanisms against the tick evasion strategies at tick-host interface which is promising in the development of effective anti-tick vaccines and drug therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abid Ali
- Department of Zoology, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, Pakistan
| | - Ismail Zeb
- Department of Zoology, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, Pakistan
| | - Abdulaziz Alouffi
- King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hafsa Zahid
- Department of Zoology, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, Pakistan
| | - Mashal M. Almutairi
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Fahdah Ayed Alshammari
- College of Sciences and Literature Microbiology, Nothern Border University, Rafha, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed Alrouji
- College of Applied Medical Sciences, Shaqra University, Shaqra, Saudi Arabia
| | - Carlos Termignoni
- Centro de Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Itabajara da Silva Vaz
- Centro de Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Tetsuya Tanaka
- Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan
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Fernández-Ruiz N, Estrada-Peña A. Scenes From Tick Physiology: Proteins of Sialome Talk About Their Biological Processes. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 11:767845. [PMID: 35059322 PMCID: PMC8765405 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.767845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Ticks are blood-sucking parasites with different strategies of feeding depending on the tick family. The major families are Ixodidae or Argasidae, being slow or fast feeders, respectively. In the recent years, the advances in molecular sequencing techniques have enabled to gain knowledge about the proteome of the tick's salivary glands. But an holistic view of the biological processes underlying the expression of the sialome has been neglected. In this study we propose the use of standard biological processes as a tool to draw the physiology of the tick's salivary glands. We used published data on the sialome of Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l. (Ixodidae) and Ornithodoros rostratus (Argasidae). A partial set of proteins obtained by these studies were used to define the biological process(es) in which proteins are involved. We used a directed network construction in which the nodes are proteins (source) and biological processes (target), separately for the low-level processes ("children") and the top-level ones ("parents"). We applied the method to feeding R. sanguineus at different time slices, and to different organs of O. rostratus. The network connects the proteins and the processes with a strength directly proportional to the transcript per millions of each protein. We used PageRank as a measure of the importance of each biological process. As suggested in previous studies, the sialome of unfed R. sanguineus express about 30% less biological processes than feeding ticks. Another decrease (25%) is noticed at the middle of the feeding and before detachment. However, top-level processes are deeply affected only at the onset of feeding, demonstrating a redundancy in the feeding. When ixodid-argasid are compared, large differences were observed: they do not share 91% of proteins, but share 90% of the biological processes. However, caution must be observed when examining these results. The hypothesis of different proteins linked to similar biological process(es) in both ticks is an extreme not confirmed in this study. Considering the limitations of this study, carried out with a selected set of proteins, we propose the networks of proteins of sialome linked to their biological processes as a tool aimed to explain the biological processes behind families of proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Fernández-Ruiz
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.,Group of Research on Emerging Zoonoses, Instituto Agroalimentario de Aragón (IA2), Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Agustín Estrada-Peña
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.,Group of Research on Emerging Zoonoses, Instituto Agroalimentario de Aragón (IA2), Zaragoza, Spain
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Impact of tick salivary gland extracts on cytotoxic activity of mouse natural killer cells. Biologia (Bratisl) 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s11756-021-00954-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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Reck J, Webster A, Dall'Agnol B, Pienaar R, de Castro MH, Featherston J, Mans BJ. Transcriptomic Analysis of Salivary Glands of Ornithodoros brasiliensis Aragão, 1923, the Agent of a Neotropical Tick-Toxicosis Syndrome in Humans. Front Physiol 2021; 12:725635. [PMID: 34421661 PMCID: PMC8378177 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.725635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Tick salivary glands produce and secrete a variety of compounds that modulate host responses and ensure a successful blood meal. Despite great progress made in the identification of ticks salivary compounds in recent years, there is still a paucity of information concerning salivary molecules of Neotropical argasid ticks. Among this group of ticks, considering the number of human cases of parasitism, including severe syndromes and hospitalization, Ornithodoros brasiliensis can be considered one of the major Neotropical argasid species with impact in public health. Here, we describe the transcriptome analysis of O. brasiliensis salivary glands (ObSG). The transcriptome yielded ~14,957 putative contigs. A total of 368 contigs were attributed to secreted proteins (SP), which represent approximately 2.5% of transcripts but ~53% expression coverage transcripts per million. Lipocalins are the major protein family among the most expressed SP, accounting for ~16% of the secretory transcripts and 51% of secretory protein abundance. The most expressed transcript is an ortholog of TSGP4 (tick salivary gland protein 4), a lipocalin first identified in Ornithodoros kalahariensis that functions as a leukotriene C4 scavenger. A total of 55 lipocalin transcripts were identified in ObSG. Other transcripts potentially involved in tick-host interaction included as: basic/acid tail secretory proteins (second most abundant expressed group), serine protease inhibitors (including Kunitz inhibitors), 5' nucleotidases (tick apyrases), phospholipase A2, 7 disulfide bond domain, cystatins, and tick antimicrobial peptides. Another abundant group of proteins in ObSG is metalloproteases. Analysis of these major protein groups suggests that several duplication events after speciation were responsible for the abundance of redundant compounds in tick salivary glands. A full mitochondrial genome could be assembled from the transcriptome data and confirmed the close genetic identity of the tick strain sampled in the current study, to a tick strain previously implicated in tick toxicoses. This study provides novel information on the molecular composition of ObSG, a Brazilian endemic tick associated with several human cases of parasitism. These results could be helpful in the understanding of clinical findings observed in bitten patients, and also, could provide more information on the evolution of Neotropical argasids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose Reck
- Instituto de Pesquisas Veterinárias Desidério Finamor (IPVDF), Eldorado do Sul, Brazil
| | - Anelise Webster
- Instituto de Pesquisas Veterinárias Desidério Finamor (IPVDF), Eldorado do Sul, Brazil
| | - Bruno Dall'Agnol
- Instituto de Pesquisas Veterinárias Desidério Finamor (IPVDF), Eldorado do Sul, Brazil
| | - Ronel Pienaar
- Epidemiology, Parasites and Vectors, Agricultural Research Council, Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Minique H de Castro
- Agricultural Research Council, Biotechnology Platform, Pretoria, South Africa
| | | | - Ben J Mans
- Epidemiology, Parasites and Vectors, Agricultural Research Council, Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Pretoria, South Africa.,Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Vector and Vector-borne Disease Research Programme, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.,Department of Life and Consumer Sciences, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa
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Pérez-Sánchez R, Carnero-Morán Á, Soriano B, Llorens C, Oleaga A. RNA-seq analysis and gene expression dynamics in the salivary glands of the argasid tick Ornithodoros erraticus along the trophogonic cycle. Parasit Vectors 2021; 14:170. [PMID: 33743776 PMCID: PMC7980729 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-021-04671-z] [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: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The argasid tick Ornithodoros erraticus is the main vector of tick-borne human relapsing fever (TBRF) and African swine fever (ASF) in the Mediterranean Basin. Tick salivary proteins secreted to the host at the feeding interface play critical roles for tick feeding and may contribute to host infection by tick-borne pathogens; accordingly, these proteins represent interesting antigen targets for the development of vaccines aimed at the control and prevention of tick infestations and tick-borne diseases. METHODS To identify these proteins, the transcriptome of the salivary glands of O. erraticus was de novo assembled and the salivary gene expression dynamics assessed throughout the trophogonic cycle using Illumina sequencing. The genes differentially upregulated after feeding were selected and discussed as potential antigen candidates for tick vaccines. RESULTS Transcriptome assembly resulted in 22,007 transcripts and 18,961 annotated transcripts, which represent 86.15% of annotation success. Most salivary gene expression took place during the first 7 days after feeding (2088 upregulated transcripts), while only a few genes (122 upregulated transcripts) were differentially expressed from day 7 post-feeding onwards. The protein families more abundantly overrepresented after feeding were lipocalins, acid and basic tail proteins, proteases (particularly metalloproteases), protease inhibitors, secreted phospholipases A2, 5'-nucleotidases/apyrases and heme-binding vitellogenin-like proteins. All of them are functionally related to blood ingestion and regulation of host defensive responses, so they can be interesting candidate protective antigens for vaccines. CONCLUSIONS The O. erraticus sialotranscriptome contains thousands of protein coding sequences-many of them belonging to large conserved multigene protein families-and shows a complexity and functional redundancy similar to those observed in the sialomes of other argasid and ixodid tick species. This high functional redundancy emphasises the need for developing multiantigenic tick vaccines to reach full protection. This research provides a set of promising candidate antigens for the development of vaccines for the control of O. erraticus infestations and prevention of tick-borne diseases of public and veterinary health relevance, such as TBRF and ASF. Additionally, this transcriptome constitutes a valuable reference database for proteomics studies of the saliva and salivary glands of O. erraticus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Pérez-Sánchez
- Parasitología Animal, Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Salamanca (IRNASA, CSIC), Cordel de Merinas, 40-52, 37008, Salamanca, Spain.
| | - Ángel Carnero-Morán
- Parasitología Animal, Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Salamanca (IRNASA, CSIC), Cordel de Merinas, 40-52, 37008, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Beatriz Soriano
- Biotechvana, Scientific Park, University of Valencia, Calle Catedrático José Beltrán 2, Paterna, 46980, Valencia, Spain
| | - Carlos Llorens
- Biotechvana, Scientific Park, University of Valencia, Calle Catedrático José Beltrán 2, Paterna, 46980, Valencia, Spain
| | - Ana Oleaga
- Parasitología Animal, Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Salamanca (IRNASA, CSIC), Cordel de Merinas, 40-52, 37008, Salamanca, Spain
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Oleaga A, Soriano B, Llorens C, Pérez-Sánchez R. Sialotranscriptomics of the argasid tick Ornithodoros moubata along the trophogonic cycle. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2021; 15:e0009105. [PMID: 33544727 PMCID: PMC7891743 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Revised: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The argasid tick Ornithodoros moubata is the main vector of human relapsing fever (HRF) and African swine fever (ASF) in Africa. Salivary proteins are part of the host-tick interface and play vital roles in the tick feeding process and the host infection by tick-borne pathogens; they represent interesting targets for immune interventions aimed at tick control. The present work describes the transcriptome profile of salivary glands of O. moubata and assesses the gene expression dynamics along the trophogonic cycle using Illumina sequencing. De novo transcriptome assembling resulted in 71,194 transcript clusters and 41,011 annotated transcripts, which represent 57.6% of the annotation success. Most salivary gene expression takes place during the first 7 days after feeding (6,287 upregulated transcripts), while a minority of genes (203 upregulated transcripts) are differentially expressed between 7 and 14 days after feeding. The functional protein groups more abundantly overrepresented after blood feeding were lipocalins, proteases (especially metalloproteases), protease inhibitors including the Kunitz/BPTI-family, proteins with phospholipase A2 activity, acid tail proteins, basic tail proteins, vitellogenins, the 7DB family and proteins involved in tick immunity and defence. The complexity and functional redundancy observed in the sialotranscriptome of O. moubata are comparable to those of the sialomes of other argasid and ixodid ticks. This transcriptome provides a valuable reference database for ongoing proteomics studies of the salivary glands and saliva of O. moubata aimed at confirming and expanding previous data on the O. moubata sialoproteome. The soft tick Ornithodoros moubata constitutes an important medical and veterinary problem in Africa because, in addition to being the vector of African swine fever, it transmits human relapsing fever (HRF), a hyper-endemic and lethal, but still neglected, tick-borne disease. Effective control of HRF requires eradicating its vector tick from domestic environments. As chemical acaricide application is ineffective against this tick, development of anti-tick vaccines seems the most promising method for tick control. Salivary proteins play essential functions for tick feeding and survival, which convert them in potential antigen targets for the development of tick vaccines. To know which these proteins are, we obtained the salivary transcriptome of O. moubata females and established, for the first time in a soft tick, the salivary gene transcription dynamics along its trophogonic cycle. Thereby, we have identified numerous genes encoding bioactive proteins essential for tick feeding. This information is essential to drive the selection of candidate antigens for anti-tick vaccine development and evaluate its protective potential in animal immunization trials. These data significantly enlarge the current repertory of known protein-coding sequences from soft tick salivary glands and establish a valuable reference database to improve our knowledge of the O. moubata salivary proteome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Oleaga
- Parasitology Laboratory, Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology (IRNASA, CSIC), Cordel de Merinas, Salamanca, Spain
- * E-mail:
| | - Beatriz Soriano
- Biotechvana, Scientific Park, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Carlos Llorens
- Biotechvana, Scientific Park, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Ricardo Pérez-Sánchez
- Parasitology Laboratory, Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology (IRNASA, CSIC), Cordel de Merinas, Salamanca, Spain
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De novo assembled salivary gland transcriptome and expression pattern analyses for Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi Neuman, 1897 male and female ticks. Sci Rep 2021; 11:1642. [PMID: 33452281 PMCID: PMC7810686 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-80454-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Ticks secrete proteins in their saliva that change over the course of feeding to modulate the host inflammation, immune responses, haemostasis or may cause paralysis. RNA next generation sequencing technologies can reveal the complex dynamics of tick salivary glands as generated from various tick life stages and/or males and females. The current study represents 15,115 Illumina sequenced contigs of the salivary gland transcriptome from male and female Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi ticks of early, mid and late feeding stages from 1320 separate assemblies using three short read assemblers. The housekeeping functional class contributed to the majority of the composition of the transcriptome (80%) but with lower expression (51%), while the secretory protein functional class represented only 14% of the transcriptome but 46% of the total coverage. Six percent had an unknown status contributing 3% of the overall expression in the salivary glands. Platelet aggregation inhibitors, blood clotting inhibitors and immune-modulators orthologous to the ancestral tick lineages were confirmed in the transcriptome and their differential expression during feeding in both genders observed. This transcriptome contributes data of importance to salivary gland biology and blood feeding physiology of non-model organisms.
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Martins LA, Bensaoud C, Kotál J, Chmelař J, Kotsyfakis M. Tick salivary gland transcriptomics and proteomics. Parasite Immunol 2020; 43:e12807. [PMID: 33135186 DOI: 10.1111/pim.12807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
'Omics' technologies have facilitated the identification of hundreds to thousands of tick molecules that mediate tick feeding and play a role in the transmission of tick-borne diseases. Deep sequencing methodologies have played a key role in this knowledge accumulation, profoundly facilitating the study of the biology of disease vectors lacking reference genomes. For example, the nucleotide sequences of the entire set of tick salivary effectors, the so-called tick 'sialome', now contain at least one order of magnitude more transcript sequences compared to similar projects based on Sanger sequencing. Tick feeding is a complex and dynamic process, and while the dynamic 'sialome' is thought to mediate tick feeding success, exactly how transcriptome dynamics relate to tick-host-pathogen interactions is still largely unknown. The identification and, importantly, the functional analysis of the tick 'sialome' is expected to shed light on this 'black box'. This information will be crucial for developing strategies to block pathogen transmission, not only for anti-tick vaccine development but also the discovery and development of new, pharmacologically active compounds for human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Larissa Almeida Martins
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic
| | - Chaima Bensaoud
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Kotál
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic.,Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Jindřich Chmelař
- Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Michail Kotsyfakis
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic.,Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
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11
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Mans BJ. Quantitative Visions of Reality at the Tick-Host Interface: Biochemistry, Genomics, Proteomics, and Transcriptomics as Measures of Complete Inventories of the Tick Sialoverse. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2020; 10:574405. [PMID: 33042874 PMCID: PMC7517725 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2020.574405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Species have definitive genomes. Even so, the transcriptional and translational products of the genome are dynamic and subject to change over time. This is especially true for the proteins secreted by ticks at the tick-host feeding interface that represent a complex system known as the sialoverse. The sialoverse represent all of the proteins derived from tick salivary glands for all tick species that may be involved in tick-host interaction and the modulation of the host's defense mechanisms. The current study contemplates the advances made over time to understand and describe the complexity present in the sialoverse. Technological advances at given periods in time allowed detection of functions, genes, and proteins enabling a deeper insight into the complexity of the sialoverse and a concomitant expansion in complexity with as yet, no end in sight. The importance of systematic classification of the sialoverse is highlighted with the realization that our coverage of transcriptome and proteome space remains incomplete, but that complete descriptions may be possible in the future. Even so, analysis and integration of the sialoverse into a comprehensive understanding of tick-host interactions may require further technological advances given the high level of expected complexity that remains to be uncovered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben J Mans
- Epidemiology, Parasites and Vectors, Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Pretoria, South Africa.,Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.,Department of Life and Consumer Sciences, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa
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12
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Garcia GR, Chaves Ribeiro JM, Maruyama SR, Gardinassi LG, Nelson K, Ferreira BR, Andrade TG, de Miranda Santos IKF. A transcriptome and proteome of the tick Rhipicephalus microplus shaped by the genetic composition of its hosts and developmental stage. Sci Rep 2020; 10:12857. [PMID: 32732984 PMCID: PMC7393499 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-69793-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2020] [Accepted: 07/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The cattle tick, Rhipicephalus microplus, is a monoxenous tick that co-evolved with indicine cattle on the Indian subcontinent. It causes massive damage to livestock worldwide. Cattle breeds present heritable, contrasting phenotypes of tick loads, taurine breeds carrying higher loads of the parasite than indicine breeds. Thus, a useful model is available to analyze mechanisms that determine outcomes of parasitism. We sought to gain insights on these mechanisms and used RNA sequencing and Multidimensional Protein Identification Technology (MudPIT) to generate a transcriptome from whole larvae and salivary glands from nymphs, males and females feeding on genetically susceptible and resistant bovine hosts and their corresponding proteomes. 931,698 reads were annotated into 11,676 coding sequences (CDS), which were manually curated into 116 different protein families. Male ticks presented the most diverse armamentarium of mediators of parasitism. In addition, levels of expression of many genes encoding mediators of parasitism were significantly associated with the level and stage of host immunity and/or were temporally restricted to developmental stages of the tick. These insights should assist in developing novel, sustainable technologies for tick control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo R Garcia
- Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Avenida Bandeirantes 3900, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14049-900, Brazil.,Superintendence of the São Paulo State Technical and Scientific Police, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - José Marcos Chaves Ribeiro
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Sandra Regina Maruyama
- Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Avenida Bandeirantes 3900, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14049-900, Brazil.,Department of Genetics and Evolution, Center for Biological Sciences and Health, Federal University of São Carlos, São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Luiz Gustavo Gardinassi
- Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Avenida Bandeirantes 3900, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14049-900, Brazil.,Institute of Tropical Pathology and Public Health, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brazil
| | - Kristina Nelson
- Center for the Study of Biological Complexity, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Beatriz R Ferreira
- Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Avenida Bandeirantes 3900, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14049-900, Brazil.,Department of Maternal-Child Nursing and Public Health, Ribeirão Preto School of Nursing, USP, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Thales Galdino Andrade
- Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Avenida Bandeirantes 3900, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14049-900, Brazil.,Department of Maternal-Child Nursing and Public Health, Ribeirão Preto School of Nursing, USP, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Isabel K Ferreira de Miranda Santos
- Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Avenida Bandeirantes 3900, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14049-900, Brazil.
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13
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Integrated analysis of sialotranscriptome and sialoproteome of the brown dog tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus (s.l.): Insights into gene expression during blood feeding. J Proteomics 2020; 229:103899. [PMID: 32673754 DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2020.103899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Revised: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Tick salivary glands secrete a complex saliva into their hosts which modulates vertebrate hemostasis, immunity and tissue repair mechanisms. Transcriptomic studies revealed a large number of transcripts coding for structural and secreted protein products in a single tick species. These transcripts are organized in several large families according to their products. Not all transcripts are expressed at the same time, transcription profile switches at intervals, characterizing the phenomenon of "sialome switching". In this work, using transcriptomic and proteomic analysis we explored the sialome of Rhipicephalus sanguineus (s.l.) adult female ticks feeding on a rabbit. The correlations between transcriptional and translational results in the different groups were evaluated, confirming the "sialome switching" and validating the idea that the expression switch may serve as a mechanism of escape from the host immunity. Recombination breakpoints were identified in lipocalin and metalloprotease families, indicating this mechanism could be a possible source of diversity in the tick sialome. Another remarkable observation was the identification of host-derived proteins as a component of tick salivary gland content. These results and disclosed sequences contribute to our understanding of tick feeding biology, to the development of novel anti-tick methods, and to the discovery of novel pharmacologically active products. SIGNIFICANCE: Ticks are a burden by themselves to humans and animals, and vectors of viral, bacterial, protozoal and helminthic diseases. Their saliva has anti-clotting, anti-platelet, vasodilatory and immunomodulatory activities that allows successful feeding and pathogen transmission. Previous transcriptomic studies indicate ticks to have over one thousand transcripts coding for secreted salivary proteins. These transcripts code for proteins of diverse families, but not all are transcribed simultaneously, but rather transiently, in a succession. Here we explored the salivary transcriptome and proteome of the brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus. A protein database of over 20 thousand sequences was "de novo" assembled from over 600 million nucleotide reads, from where over two thousand polypeptides were identified by mass spectrometry. The proteomic data was shown to vary in time with the transcription profiles, validating the idea that the expression switch may serve as a mechanism of escape from the host immunity. Analysis of the transcripts coding for lipocalin and metalloproteases indicate their genes to contain signals of breakpoint recombination suggesting a new mechanism responsible for the large diversity in tick salivary proteins. These results and the disclosed sequences contribute to our understanding of the success ticks enjoy as ectoparasites, to the development of novel anti-tick methods, and to the discovery of novel pharmacologically active products.
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14
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Martins LA, Kotál J, Bensaoud C, Chmelař J, Kotsyfakis M. Small protease inhibitors in tick saliva and salivary glands and their role in tick-host-pathogen interactions. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2020; 1868:140336. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2019.140336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2019] [Revised: 12/04/2019] [Accepted: 12/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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15
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Tick saliva and its role in pathogen transmission. Wien Klin Wochenschr 2019; 135:165-176. [PMID: 31062185 PMCID: PMC10118219 DOI: 10.1007/s00508-019-1500-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2019] [Accepted: 04/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Tick saliva is a complex mixture of peptidic and non-peptidic molecules that aid engorgement. The composition of tick saliva changes as feeding progresses and the tick counters the dynamic host response. Ixodid ticks such as Ixodes ricinus, the most important tick species in Europe, transmit numerous pathogens that cause debilitating diseases, e.g. Lyme borreliosis and tick-borne encephalitis. Tick-borne pathogens are transmitted in tick saliva during blood feeding; however, saliva is not simply a medium enabling pathogen transfer. Instead, tick-borne pathogens exploit saliva-induced modulation of host responses to promote their transmission and infection, so-called saliva-assisted transmission (SAT). Characterization of the saliva factors that facilitate SAT is an active area of current research. Besides providing new insights into how tick-borne pathogens survive in nature, the research is opening new avenues for vaccine development.
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16
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Mans BJ. Chemical Equilibrium at the Tick-Host Feeding Interface:A Critical Examination of Biological Relevance in Hematophagous Behavior. Front Physiol 2019; 10:530. [PMID: 31118903 PMCID: PMC6504839 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2019.00530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2019] [Accepted: 04/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Ticks secrete hundreds to thousands of proteins into the feeding site, that presumably all play important functions in the modulation of host defense mechanisms. The current review considers the assumption that tick proteins have functional relevance during feeding. The feeding site may be described as a closed system and could be treated as an ideal equilibrium system, thereby allowing modeling of tick-host interactions in an equilibrium state. In this equilibrium state, the concentration of host and tick proteins and their affinities will determine functional relevance at the tick-host interface. Using this approach, many characterized tick proteins may have functional relevant concentrations and affinities at the feeding site. Conversely, the feeding site is not an ideal closed system, but is dynamic and changing, leading to possible overestimation of tick protein concentration at the feeding site and consequently an overestimation of functional relevance. Ticks have evolved different possible strategies to deal with this dynamic environment and overcome the barrier that equilibrium kinetics poses to tick feeding. Even so, cognisance of the limitations that equilibrium binding place on deductions of functional relevance should serve as an important incentive to determine both the concentration and affinity of tick proteins proposed to be functional at the feeding site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben J. Mans
- Epidemiology, Parasites and Vectors, Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Pretoria, South Africa
- Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
- Department of Life and Consumer Sciences, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa
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17
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Nuttall PA. Wonders of tick saliva. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2018; 10:470-481. [PMID: 30459085 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2018.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2018] [Revised: 10/31/2018] [Accepted: 11/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Saliva of ticks is arguably the most complex saliva of any animal. This is particularly the case for ixodid species that feed for many days firmly attached to the same skin site of their obliging host. Sequencing and spectrometry technologies combined with bioinformatics are enumerating ingredients in the saliva cocktail. The dynamic and expanding saliva recipe is helping decipher the wonderous activities of tick saliva, revealing how ticks stealthily hide from their hosts while satisfying their gluttony and sharing their individual resources. This review takes a tick perspective on the composition and functions of tick saliva, covering water balance, gasket and holdfast, control of host responses, dynamics, individuality, mate guarding, saliva-assisted transmission, and redundancy. It highlights areas sometimes overlooked - feeding aggregation and sharing of sialomes, and the contribution of salivary gland storage granules - and questions whether the huge diversity of tick saliva molecules is 'redundant' or more a reflection on the enormous adaptability wonderous saliva confers on ticks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia A Nuttall
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, UK and Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, UK.
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18
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Antunes S, Couto J, Ferrolho J, Rodrigues F, Nobre J, Santos AS, Santos-Silva MM, de la Fuente J, Domingos A. Rhipicephalus bursa Sialotranscriptomic Response to Blood Feeding and Babesia ovis Infection: Identification of Candidate Protective Antigens. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2018; 8:116. [PMID: 29780749 PMCID: PMC5945973 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2018.00116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2017] [Accepted: 03/23/2018] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Ticks are among the most prevalent blood-feeding arthropods, and they act as vectors and reservoirs for numerous pathogens. Sialotranscriptomic characterizations of tick responses to blood feeding and pathogen infections can offer new insights into the molecular interplay occurring at the tick-host-pathogen interface. In the present study, we aimed to identify and characterize Rhipicephalus bursa salivary gland (SG) genes that were differentially expressed in response to blood feeding and Babesia ovis infection. Our experimental approach consisted of RNA sequencing of SG from three different tick samples, fed-infected, fed-uninfected, and unfed-uninfected, for characterization and inter-comparison. Overall, 7,272 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were constructed from unfed-uninfected, 13,819 ESTs from fed-uninfected, and 15,292 ESTs from fed-infected ticks. Two catalogs of transcripts that were differentially expressed in response to blood feeding and B. ovis infection were produced. Four genes coding for a putative vitellogenin-3, lachesin, a glycine rich protein, and a secreted cement protein were selected for RNA interference functional studies. A reduction of 92, 65, and 51% was observed in vitellogenin-3, secreted cement, and lachesin mRNA levels in SG, respectively. The vitellogenin-3 knockdown led to increased tick mortality, with 77% of ticks dying post-infestation. The reduction of the secreted cement protein-mRNA levels resulted in 46% of ticks being incapable of correctly attaching to the host and significantly lower female weights post-feeding in comparison to the control group. The lachesin knockdown resulted in a 70% reduction of the levels associated with B. ovis infection in R. bursa SG and 70% mortality. These results improved our understanding of the role of tick SG genes in Babesia infection/proliferation and tick feeding. Moreover, lachesin, vitellogenin-3, and secreted cement proteins were validated as candidate protective antigens for the development of novel tick and tick-borne disease control measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Antunes
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.,Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Joana Couto
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.,Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Joana Ferrolho
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.,Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Fábio Rodrigues
- Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - João Nobre
- Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária, Pólo de Santarém, Vale de Santarém, Portugal
| | - Ana S Santos
- Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Centro de Estudos de Vectores e Doenças Infecciosas Dr. Francisco Cambournac (CEVDI/INSA), Águas de Moura, Portugal
| | - M Margarida Santos-Silva
- Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Centro de Estudos de Vectores e Doenças Infecciosas Dr. Francisco Cambournac (CEVDI/INSA), Águas de Moura, Portugal
| | - José de la Fuente
- SaBio, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC-CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ciudad Real, Spain.,Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, United States
| | - Ana Domingos
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.,Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
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19
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Perner J, Kropáčková S, Kopáček P, Ribeiro JMC. Sialome diversity of ticks revealed by RNAseq of single tick salivary glands. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2018; 12:e0006410. [PMID: 29652888 PMCID: PMC5919021 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0006410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2017] [Revised: 04/25/2018] [Accepted: 03/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Ticks salivate while feeding on their hosts. Saliva helps blood feeding through host anti-hemostatic and immunomodulatory components. Previous transcriptomic and proteomic studies revealed the complexity of tick saliva, comprising hundreds of polypeptides grouped in several multi-genic families such as lipocalins, Kunitz-domain containing peptides, metalloproteases, basic tail secreted proteins, and several other families uniquely found in ticks. These studies also revealed that the composition of saliva changes with time; expression of transcripts from the same family wax and wane as a function of feeding time. Here, we examined whether host immune factors could influence sialome switching by comparing sialomes of ticks fed naturally on a rabbit, to ticks artificially fed on defibrinated blood depleted of immune components. Previous studies were based on transcriptomes derived from pools of several individuals. To get an insight into the uniqueness of tick sialomes, we performed transcriptomic analyses of single salivary glands dissected from individual adult female I. ricinus ticks. Multivariate analysis identified 1,279 contigs differentially expressed as a function of time and/or feeding mode. Cluster analysis of these contigs revealed nine clusters of differentially expressed genes, four of which appeared consistently across several replicates, but five clusters were idiosyncratic, pointing to the uniqueness of sialomes in individual ticks. The disclosure of tick quantum sialomes reveals the unique salivary composition produced by individual ticks as they switch their sialomes throughout the blood meal, a possible mechanism of immune evasion. In this work, we confirm previous reports that the repertoire of tick salivary gland transcripts changes as a function of time, but in addition, we now identify transcripts that change their levels according to the mode of feeding of ticks. Implementation of membrane feeding allowed us to feed ticks on an immune-deficient diet and identify transcripts that are subject to immunity-stimulated expression. Such identification may help to prioritise selection of salivary gland transcripts for further investigation. One novelty of this work was creating cDNA libraries from a single pair of salivary glands, which helped to gain insight into sialomic diversity at the single tick level. We observed that ticks express a battery of genes in defined clusters as feeding progresses (over tested replicates), but also individual ticks were found to express idiosyncratic clusters of genes. Such a biological phenomenon may imply novel tick mechanisms for evading host-mediated recognition of tick antigens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Perner
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Sára Kropáčková
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Kopáček
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- * E-mail: (JMCR); (PK)
| | - José M. C. Ribeiro
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda MD, United States of America
- * E-mail: (JMCR); (PK)
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20
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Assumpção TC, Mizurini DM, Ma D, Monteiro RQ, Ahlstedt S, Reyes M, Kotsyfakis M, Mather TN, Andersen JF, Lukszo J, Ribeiro JMC, Francischetti IMB. Ixonnexin from Tick Saliva Promotes Fibrinolysis by Interacting with Plasminogen and Tissue-Type Plasminogen Activator, and Prevents Arterial Thrombosis. Sci Rep 2018; 8:4806. [PMID: 29555911 PMCID: PMC5859130 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-22780-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2018] [Accepted: 02/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Tick saliva is a rich source of modulators of vascular biology. We have characterized Ixonnexin, a member of the "Basic-tail" family of salivary proteins from the tick Ixodes scapularis. Ixonnexin is a 104 residues (11.8 KDa), non-enzymatic basic protein which contains 3 disulfide bonds and a C-terminal rich in lysine. It is homologous to SALP14, a tick salivary FXa anticoagulant. Ixonnexin was produced by ligation of synthesized fragments (51-104) and (1-50) followed by folding. Ixonnexin, like SALP14, interacts with FXa. Notably, Ixonnexin also modulates fibrinolysis in vitro by a unique salivary mechanism. Accordingly, it accelerates plasminogen activation by tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) with Km 100 nM; however, it does not affect urokinase-mediated fibrinolysis. Additionally, lysine analogue ε-aminocaproic acid inhibits Ixonnexin-mediated plasmin generation implying that lysine-binding sites of Kringle domain(s) of plasminogen or t-PA are involved in this process. Moreover, surface plasmon resonance experiments shows that Ixonnexin binds t-PA, and plasminogen (KD 10 nM), but not urokinase. These results imply that Ixonnexin promotes fibrinolysis by supporting the interaction of plasminogen with t-PA through formation of an enzymatically productive ternary complex. Finally, in vivo experiments demonstrates that Ixonnexin inhibits FeCl3-induced thrombosis in mice. Ixonnexin emerges as novel modulator of fibrinolysis which may also affect parasite-vector-host interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa C Assumpção
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, NIAID, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA
| | - Daniella M Mizurini
- Institute of Medical Biochemistry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Dongying Ma
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, NIAID, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA
| | - Robson Q Monteiro
- Institute of Medical Biochemistry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Sydney Ahlstedt
- Department of Pathology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine & Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Morayma Reyes
- Department of Pathology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine & Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Michail Kotsyfakis
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Center, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Thomas N Mather
- Rhode Island Center for Vector-Borne Disease, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
| | - John F Andersen
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, NIAID, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA
| | - Jan Lukszo
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, NIAID, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA
| | - José M C Ribeiro
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, NIAID, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA
| | - Ivo M B Francischetti
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, NIAID, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA.
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