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Ali A, Khan M, Alouffi A, Almutairi MM, Paguem A, Chitimia-Dobler L, Pienaar R, de Castro MH, Mans BJ. Description of a new tick species, closely related to Amblyomma javanense (Supino, 1897), associated with Varanus bengalensis (Squamata: Varanidae) in Pakistan. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2024; 15:102361. [PMID: 38880004 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 05/10/2024] [Accepted: 05/19/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024]
Abstract
The genus Amblyomma contains the highest percentage of reptile-associated ticks, and comprises approximately nine subgenera. One of these subgenera is Adenopleura, which also encompasses Amblyomma javanense, and its type species Amblyomma compressum. This study describes a new Amblyomma species associated with Bengal monitor lizards (Varanus bengalensis) based on morphology and its mitogenome in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Reptiles belonging to different genera were examined for Amblyomma ticks and only the monitor lizard was infested with ticks in the District Bajaur. Collected Amblyomma cf. javanense ticks were analyzed and formally described as a new species. Overall, 57 A. cf. javanense ticks were collected on monitor lizards (4/27) with a 15% prevalence of infestation, 2.1 mean abundance, and 14.3 mean intensity. Ticks comprised males (n = 23, 40%), females (n = 14, 25%) and nymphs (n = 20, 35%), while no larvae were found. BLAST analysis of A. cf. javanense sequences showed the following maximum identities; 98.25% with undetermined Amblyomma species based on 12S rRNA, 96.07% with A. javanense based on 16S rRNA, 99.56% and 90.95% with an Amblyomma sp. and A. javanense, respectively, based on ITS2. Moreover, the mitochondrial genome of A. cf. javanense showed maximum identities of 80.75%, 80.48% and 79.42% with Amblyomma testudinarium, A. javanense, and Amblyomma sp., respectively. The phylogenetic analysis of A. cf. javanense revealed that its 12S rRNA and 16S rRNA are closely related to an Amblyomma sp. and A. javanense, respectively, from Sri Lanka, its ITS2 is closely related to A. javanense from China and an Amblyomma sp. from Sri Lanka, and its mitogenome is closely related to A. javanense and Amblyomma sp. from China. The pairwise distance analysis resulted in divergence of 0-1.71% (12S rRNA), 0-17.5% (16S rRNA), 0-9.1% (ITS2) and 0-20.5% (mitochondrial genome). We also contributed the full-length mitochondrial genome sequence of A. compressum and showed that this species does not share a most recent common ancestor with A. javanense. As the subgenus Adenopleura is paraphyletic, this study could help to understand the systematics and phylogeny of this taxon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abid Ali
- Department of Zoology, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan 23200, Pakistan.
| | - Mehran Khan
- Department of Zoology, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan 23200, Pakistan
| | - Abdulaziz Alouffi
- King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Riyadh 12354, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mashal M Almutairi
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Archile Paguem
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Lidia Chitimia-Dobler
- Rickettsiology and Virology, Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology, Munich 80937, Germany; Infection and Pandemic Research, Fraunhofer Institute of Immunology, Penzberg, Germany
| | - Ronel Pienaar
- Epidemiology, Parasites and Vectors, Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Onderstepoort, South Africa; Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of the Free State, P.O. Box 339, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa
| | - Minique H de Castro
- The Biotechnology Platform, Agricultural Research Council-Biotechnology Platform, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa
| | - Ben J Mans
- Epidemiology, Parasites and Vectors, Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Onderstepoort, South Africa; Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of the Free State, P.O. Box 339, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa; Department of Life and Consumer Sciences, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa.
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Chitimia-Dobler L, Handschuh S, Dunlop JA, Pienaar R, Mans BJ. Nuttalliellidae in Burmese amber: implications for tick evolution. Parasitology 2024:1-17. [PMID: 38623697 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182024000477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
Ticks are composed of 3 extant families (Argasidae, Ixodidae and Nuttalliellidae) and 2 extinct families (Deinocrotonidae and Khimairidae). The Nuttalliellidae possess one extant species (Nuttalliella namaqua) limited to the Afrotropic region. A basal relationship to the hard and soft tick families and its limited distribution suggested an origin for ticks in the Afrotropics. The Deinocrotonidae has been found in Burmese amber from Myanmar and Iberian amber from Spain, suggesting a wider distribution of the lineage composed of Deinocrotonidae and Nuttalliellidae. The current study describes 8 fossils from mid-Cretaceous (ca. 100 Ma) Burmese amber: 2 Deinocroton species (Deinocroton bicornis sp. nov.; Deinocroton lacrimus sp. nov.), 5 Nuttalliella species (Nuttalliella gratae sp. nov., Nuttalliella tuberculata sp. nov., Nuttalliella placaventrala sp. nov., Nuttalliella odyssea sp. nov., Nuttalliella tropicasylvae sp. nov.) and a new genus and species (Legionaris nov. gen., Legionaris robustus sp. nov.). The argument is advanced that Deinocroton do not warrant its own family, but forms part of the Nuttalliellidae comprising 3 genera, Deinocroton, Legionaris nov. gen. and Nuttalliella). Affinities of Burmese tick fossils to the Australasian region, specifically related to rifting of the Burma terrane from northern Australia ~150 million years ago, suggest that Nuttalliella had a much wider distribution than its current limited distribution. The distribution of Nuttalliella likely stretched from Africa over Antarctica and much of Australia, suggesting that extant members of this family may still be found in Australia. Considerations for the geographic origins of ticks conclude that an Afrotropic origin can as yet not be discarded.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lidia Chitimia-Dobler
- Department of Rickettsiology and Virology, Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology, Munich, Germany
- Department of Infection and Pandemic Research, Fraunhofer Institute of Immunology, Infection and Pandemic Research, Penzberg, Germany
| | - Stephan Handschuh
- VetCore Facility for Research / Imaging Unit, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jason A Dunlop
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ronel Pienaar
- Epidemiology, Parasites and Vectors, Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Onderstepoort, South Africa
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | - Ben J Mans
- Epidemiology, Parasites and Vectors, Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Onderstepoort, South Africa
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
- Department of Life and Consumer Sciences, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa
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Mans BJ, Chitimia-Dobler L, Pienaar R, de Castro M, Khan M, Almutairi MM, Alouffi A, Ali A. Mitochondrial genome and nuclear ribosomal RNA analysis place Alveonasus lahorensis within the Argasinae and suggest that the genus Alveonasus is paraphyletic. Parasitology 2024:1-10. [PMID: 38586995 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182024000441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Two major families exist in ticks, the Argasidae and Ixodidae. The Argasidae comprise 2 sub-families, Argasinae and Ornithodorinae. The placement into subfamilies illuminate differences in morphological and molecular systematics and is important since it provides insight into evolutionary divergence within this family. It also identifies fundamental gaps in our understanding of argasid evolution that provide directions for future research. Molecular systematics based on mitochondrial genomics and 18S/28S ribosomal RNA confirmed the placement of various genera and subgenera into the Argasinae: Argas (including Argas and Persicargas), Navis, Ogadenus, Otobius lagophilus, Proknekalia, Secretargas and the Ornithodorinae: Alectorobius, Antricola (including Antricola and Parantricola), Carios, Chiropterargas, Nothoaspis, Ornithodoros (including Microargas, Ornamentum, Ornithodoros sensu strictu, Pavlovskyella), Otobius sensu strictu, Reticulinasus and Subparmatus. The position of Alveonasus remains controversial since traditional taxonomy placed it in the Ornithodorinae, while cladistic and limited molecular analysis placed it in the Argasinae. The current study aimed to resolve the systematic position of Alveonasus using mitochondrial genomic and 18S/28S ribosomal RNA systematics by sequencing the type species Alveonasus lahorensis from Pakistan. In addition, the mitochondrial genomes for Argas reflexus and Alectorobius kelleyi are reported from Germany and the USA, respectively. The systematic data unambiguously place Alveonasus in the Argasinae and also suggest that Alveonasus may be another paraphyletic genus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben J Mans
- Epidemiology, Parasites and Vectors, Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa
- Department of Life and Consumer Sciences, University of South Africa, Florida 1709, South Africa
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein 9301, South Africa
| | - Lidia Chitimia-Dobler
- Department of Virology and Rickettsiology, Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology, Munich, Germany
- Department of Infection and Pandemic Research, Fraunhofer Institute of Immunology, Infection and Pandemic Research, Penzberg, Germany
| | - Ronel Pienaar
- Epidemiology, Parasites and Vectors, Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein 9301, South Africa
| | - Minique de Castro
- The Biotechnology Platform, Agricultural Research Council-Biotechnology Platform, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa
| | - Mehran Khan
- Department of Zoology, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan 23200, Pakistan
| | - Mashal M Almutairi
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdulaziz Alouffi
- King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Riyadh 12354, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abid Ali
- Department of Zoology, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan 23200, Pakistan
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Gàlvez-Morante A, Guéguen L, Natsidis P, Telford MJ, Richter DJ. Dollo Parsimony Overestimates Ancestral Gene Content Reconstructions. Genome Biol Evol 2024; 16:evae062. [PMID: 38518756 PMCID: PMC10995720 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evae062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2024] [Revised: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Ancestral reconstruction is a widely used technique that has been applied to understand the evolutionary history of gain and loss of gene families. Ancestral gene content can be reconstructed via different phylogenetic methods, but many current and previous studies employ Dollo parsimony. We hypothesize that Dollo parsimony is not appropriate for ancestral gene content reconstruction inferences based on sequence homology, as Dollo parsimony is derived from the assumption that a complex character cannot be regained. This premise does not accurately model molecular sequence evolution, in which false orthology can result from sequence convergence or lateral gene transfer. The aim of this study is to test Dollo parsimony's suitability for ancestral gene content reconstruction and to compare its inferences with a maximum likelihood-based approach that allows a gene family to be gained more than once within a tree. We first compared the performance of the two approaches on a series of artificial data sets each of 5,000 genes that were simulated according to a spectrum of evolutionary rates without gene gain or loss, so that inferred deviations from the true gene count would arise only from errors in orthology inference and ancestral reconstruction. Next, we reconstructed protein domain evolution on a phylogeny representing known eukaryotic diversity. We observed that Dollo parsimony produced numerous ancestral gene content overestimations, especially at nodes closer to the root of the tree. These observations led us to the conclusion that, confirming our hypothesis, Dollo parsimony is not an appropriate method for ancestral reconstruction studies based on sequence homology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Gàlvez-Morante
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona 08003, Spain
| | - Laurent Guéguen
- LBBE, UMR 5558, CNRS, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne 69622, France
| | - Paschalis Natsidis
- Centre for Life's Origins and Evolution, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Maximilian J Telford
- Centre for Life's Origins and Evolution, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Daniel J Richter
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona 08003, Spain
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Kozelková T, Dyčka F, Lu S, Urbanová V, Frantová H, Sojka D, Šíma R, Horn M, Perner J, Kopáček P. Insight Into the Dynamics of the Ixodes ricinus Nymphal Midgut Proteome. Mol Cell Proteomics 2023; 22:100663. [PMID: 37832788 PMCID: PMC10665701 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcpro.2023.100663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Ticks are ectoparasites that feed on blood and have an impressive ability to consume and process enormous amounts of host blood, allowing extremely long periods of starvation between blood meals. The central role in the parasitic lifestyle of ticks is played by the midgut. This organ efficiently stores and digests ingested blood and serves as the primary interface for the transmission of tick-borne pathogens. In this study, we used a label-free quantitative approach to perform a novel dynamic proteomic analysis of the midgut of Ixodesricinus nymphs, covering their development from unfed to pre-molt stages. We identified 1534 I. ricinus-specific proteins with a relatively low proportion of host proteins. This proteome dataset, which was carefully examined by manual scrutiny, allowed precise annotation of proteins important for blood meal processing and their dynamic changes during nymphal ontogeny. We focused on midgut molecules related to lipid hydrolysis, storage, and transport, opening a yet unexplored avenue for studying lipid metabolism in ticks. Further dynamic profiling of the tick's multi-enzyme digestive network, protease inhibitors, enzymes involved in redox homeostasis and detoxification, antimicrobial peptides, and proteins responsible for midgut colonization by Borrelia spirochetes promises to uncover new targets for targeting tick nymphs, the most critical life stage for transmission the pathogens that cause tick-borne diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tereza Kozelková
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic; Faculty of Sciences, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Filip Dyčka
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic; Faculty of Sciences, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Stephen Lu
- Vector Biology Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Veronika Urbanová
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Helena Frantová
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Daniel Sojka
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Radek Šíma
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic; Bioptic Laboratory, Ltd, Plzen, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Horn
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Perner
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Kopáček
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.
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Guizzo MG, Mans B, Pienaar R, Ribeiro JMC. A comparison of Illumina and PacBio methods to build tick salivary gland transcriptomes confirms large expression of lipocalins and other salivary protein families that are not represented in available tick genomes. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2023; 14:102209. [PMID: 37327738 PMCID: PMC10527494 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2023.102209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Revised: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Tick saliva helps blood feeding by its antihemostatic and immunomodulatory activities. Tick salivary gland transcriptomes (sialotranscriptomes) revealed thousands of transcripts coding for putative secreted polypeptides. Hundreds of these transcripts code for groups of similar proteins, constituting protein families, such as the lipocalins and metalloproteases. However, while many of these transcriptome-derived protein sequences matches sequences predicted by tick genome assemblies, the majority are not represented in these proteomes. The diversity of these transcriptome-derived transcripts could derive from artifacts generated during assembly of short Illumina reads or derive from polymorphisms of the genes coding for these proteins. To investigate this discrepancy, we collected salivary glands from blood-feeding ticks and, from the same homogenate, made and sequenced libraries following Illumina and PacBio protocols, with the assumption that the longer PacBio reads would reveal the sequences generated by the assembly of Illumina reads. Using both Rhipicephalus zambeziensis and Ixodes scapularis ticks, we have obtained more lipocalin transcripts from the Illumina library than the PacBio library. To verify whether these unique Illumina transcripts were real, we selected 9 uniquely Illumina-derived lipocalin transcripts from I. scapularis and attempted to obtain PCR products. These were obtained and their sequences confirmed the presence of these transcripts in the I. scapularis salivary homogenate. We further compared the predicted salivary lipocalins and metalloproteases from I. scapularis sialotranscriptomes with those found in the predicted proteomes of 3 publicly available genomes of I. scapularis. Results indicate that the discrepancy between the genome and transcriptome sequences for these salivary protein families is due to a high degree of polymorphism within these genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melina Garcia Guizzo
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Rockville, MD, 20852, USA
| | - Ben Mans
- Epidemiology, Parasites and Vectors, Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Onderstepoort, South Africa; The Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa; Department of Life and Consumer Sciences, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Ronel Pienaar
- Epidemiology, Parasites and Vectors, Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Onderstepoort, South Africa
| | - Jose M C Ribeiro
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Rockville, MD, 20852, USA.
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Mans BJ. Paradigms in tick evolution. Trends Parasitol 2023; 39:475-486. [PMID: 37061441 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2023.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/17/2023]
Abstract
The study of tick evolution may be classified into disciplines such as taxonomy and systematics, biogeography, evolution and development (evo-devo), ecology, and hematophagy. These disciplines overlap and impact each other to various extents. Advances in one field may lead to paradigm shifts in our understanding of tick evolution not apparent to other fields. The current study considers paradigm shifts that occurred, are in the process, or may occur in future for the disciplines that study tick evolution. Some disciplines have undergone significant changes, while others may still be developing their own paradigms. Integration of these various disciplines is essential to come to a holistic view of tick evolution; however, maturation of paradigms may be necessary before this vision can be attained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben J Mans
- Epidemiology, Parasites and Vectors, Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Onderstepoort, South Africa; Department of Life and Consumer Sciences, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa.
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Shepherd JG. Mating, Sperm Transfer and Oviposition in Soft Ticks (Acari: Argasidae), a Review. Pathogens 2023; 12:pathogens12040582. [PMID: 37111468 PMCID: PMC10142124 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12040582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
This review addresses the physiology and behavioral events involved in the reproduction of soft ticks (family Argasidae), with special attention to the events of their adult life: mating, sperm transfer and egg-laying. Many of these aspects are held in common with hard ticks, but the repeated short duration of feeding bouts in soft ticks, in contrast to the extended single engorgements of hard ticks, has consequences peculiar to soft tick reproduction. Reviewed are the dramatic external mechanism of sperm transfer, the unusual maturation and unique morphology and motility of the spermatozoa, the mechanism of oogenesis and its hormonal control, the mystery of fertilization, the involvement of pheromones in mating, the control of reproductive arrests and the vertical transmission of symbiotes in reproduction. Jumping-off points for further investigation are discussed throughout.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian G Shepherd
- Department of Biological Sciences, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, USA
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Hatalová T, Erhart J, Kopáček P, Perner J. On the haem auxotrophy of the soft tick Ornithodoros moubata. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2023; 14:102170. [PMID: 36958097 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2023.102170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/25/2023]
Abstract
Genomes of ticks display reductions, to various extents, in genetic coding for enzymes of the haem biosynthetic pathway. Here, we mined available transcriptomes of soft tick species and identified transcripts encoding only half of the enzymes involved in haem biosynthesis. Transcripts identified across most species examined were those coding for porphobilinogen synthase, coproporphyrinogen oxidase, protoporphyrinogen oxidase, and ferrochelatase. Genomic retention of porphobilinogen synthase seems to be soft tick-restricted as no such homologue has been identified in any hard tick species. Bioinformatic mining is thus strongly indicative of the lack of biochemical capacity for de novo haem biosynthesis, suggesting a requirement for dietary haem. In the hard tick Ixodes ricinus, depletion of dietary haem, i.e. serum feeding, leads to oviposition of haem-free eggs, with no apparent embryogenesis and larvae formation. In this work, we show that serum-fed Ornithodoros moubata females, unlike those of I. ricinus, laid haem-containing eggs similarly to blood-fed controls, but only by a small proportion of the serum-fed females. To enhance the effect of dietary haem depletion, O. moubata ticks were serum-fed consecutively as last nymphal instars and females. These females laid eggs with profoundly reduced haem deposits, confirming the host origin of the haem. These data confirm the ability of soft ticks to take up and allocate host haem to their eggs in order to drive reproduction of the ticks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tereza Hatalová
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice 37005, Czech Republic; Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Erhart
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice 37005, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Kopáček
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice 37005, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Perner
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice 37005, Czech Republic.
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Estrada-Peña A, Guglielmone AA, Nava S. Worldwide host associations of the tick genus Ixodes suggest relationships based on environmental sharing rather than on co-phylogenetic events. Parasit Vectors 2023; 16:75. [PMID: 36810195 PMCID: PMC9945728 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-022-05641-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 02/24/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND This study aims to capture how ticks of the genus Ixodes gained their hosts using network constructs. We propose two alternative hypotheses, namely, an ecological background (ticks and hosts sharing environmentally available conditions) and a phylogenetic one, in which both partners co-evolved, adapting to existing environmental conditions after the association took place. METHODS We used network constructs linking all the known pairs of associations between each species and stage of ticks with families and orders of hosts. Faith's phylogenetic diversity was used to evaluate the phylogenetic distance of the hosts of each species and changes occurring in the ontogenetic switch between consecutive stages of each species (or the extent of the changes in phylogenetic diversity of hosts for consecutive stages of the same species). RESULTS We report highly clustered associations among Ixodes ticks and hosts, supporting the influence of the ecological adaptation and coexistence, demonstrating a lack of strict tick-host coevolution in most cases, except for a few species. Keystone hosts do not exist in the relationships between Ixodes and vertebrates because of the high redundancy of the networks, further supporting an ecological relationship between both types of partners. The ontogenetic switch of hosts is high for species with enough data, which is another potential clue supporting the ecological hypothesis. Other results suggest that the networks displaying tick-host associations are different according to the biogeographical realms. Data for the Afrotropical region reveal a lack of extensive surveys, while results for the Australasian region are suggestive of a mass extinction of vertebrates. The Palearctic network is well developed, with many links demonstrating a highly modular set of relationships. CONCLUSIONS With the obvious exceptions of Ixodes species restricted to one or a few hosts, the results point to an ecological adaptation. Even results on species linked to groups of ticks (such as Ixodes uriae and the pelagic birds or the bat-tick species) are suggestive of a previous action of environmental forces.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alberto A. Guglielmone
- Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Rafaela—Instituto de Investigación de la Cadena Láctea (INTA-Consejo de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas), Rafaela, Santa Fe Argentina
| | - Santiago Nava
- Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Rafaela—Instituto de Investigación de la Cadena Láctea (INTA-Consejo de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas), Rafaela, Santa Fe Argentina
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Raicu AM, Kadiyala D, Niblock M, Jain A, Yang Y, Bird KM, Bertholf K, Seenivasan A, Siddiq M, Arnosti DN. The Cynosure of CtBP: Evolution of a Bilaterian Transcriptional Corepressor. Mol Biol Evol 2023; 40:msad003. [PMID: 36625090 PMCID: PMC9907507 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msad003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Revised: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Evolution of sequence-specific transcription factors clearly drives lineage-specific innovations, but less is known about how changes in the central transcriptional machinery may contribute to evolutionary transformations. In particular, transcriptional regulators are rich in intrinsically disordered regions that appear to be magnets for evolutionary innovation. The C-terminal Binding Protein (CtBP) is a transcriptional corepressor derived from an ancestral lineage of alpha hydroxyacid dehydrogenases; it is found in mammals and invertebrates, and features a core NAD-binding domain as well as an unstructured C-terminus (CTD) of unknown function. CtBP can act on promoters and enhancers to repress transcription through chromatin-linked mechanisms. Our comparative phylogenetic study shows that CtBP is a bilaterian innovation whose CTD of about 100 residues is present in almost all orthologs. CtBP CTDs contain conserved blocks of residues and retain a predicted disordered property, despite having variations in the primary sequence. Interestingly, the structure of the C-terminus has undergone radical transformation independently in certain lineages including flatworms and nematodes. Also contributing to CTD diversity is the production of myriad alternative RNA splicing products, including the production of "short" tailless forms of CtBP in Drosophila. Additional diversity stems from multiple gene duplications in vertebrates, where up to five CtBP orthologs have been observed. Vertebrate lineages show fewer major modifications in the unstructured CTD, possibly because gene regulatory constraints of the vertebrate body plan place specific constraints on this domain. Our study highlights the rich regulatory potential of this previously unstudied domain of a central transcriptional regulator.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana-Maria Raicu
- Cell and Molecular Biology Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
| | - Dhruva Kadiyala
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
| | - Madeline Niblock
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
| | | | - Yahui Yang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
| | - Kalynn M Bird
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
| | - Kayla Bertholf
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Program, College of Wooster
| | - Akshay Seenivasan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
| | - Mohammad Siddiq
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - David N Arnosti
- Cell and Molecular Biology Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
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12
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A Deeper Insight into the Tick Salivary Protein Families under the Light of Alphafold2 and Dali: Introducing the TickSialoFam 2.0 Database. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232415613. [PMID: 36555254 PMCID: PMC9779611 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232415613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Hard ticks feed for several days or weeks on their hosts and their saliva contains thousands of polypeptides belonging to dozens of families, as identified by salivary transcriptomes. Comparison of the coding sequences to protein databases helps to identify putative secreted proteins and their potential functions, directing and focusing future studies, usually done with recombinant proteins that are tested in different bioassays. However, many families of putative secreted peptides have a unique character, not providing significant matches to known sequences. The availability of the Alphafold2 program, which provides in silico predictions of the 3D polypeptide structure, coupled with the Dali program which uses the atomic coordinates of a structural model to search the Protein Data Bank (PDB) allows another layer of investigation to annotate and ascribe a functional role to proteins having so far being characterized as "unique". In this study, we analyzed the classification of tick salivary proteins under the light of the Alphafold2/Dali programs, detecting novel protein families and gaining new insights relating the structure and function of tick salivary proteins.
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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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14
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Chitimia-Dobler L, Mans BJ, Handschuh S, Dunlop JA. A remarkable assemblage of ticks from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. Parasitology 2022; 149:1-36. [PMID: 35241194 PMCID: PMC10090602 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182022000269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Four fossil ticks (Arachnida: Parasitiformes: Ixodida) are described from mid-Cretaceous (ca. 100 Ma) Burmese amber of Myanmar. Ixodes antiquorum sp. nov. (Ixodidae) is the first Mesozoic record of Ixodes and the oldest representative of the most species-rich extant tick genus. Its affinities appear to lie with modern Australian forms, consistent with the hypothesis that Burmese amber hosted Gondwanan faunal elements. Even more remarkable is Khimaira fossus gen. et sp. nov. which combines a body resembling that of a soft tick (Argasidae) with a basis capitulum more like that of a hard tick (Ixodidae). We refer it to Khimairidae fam. nov. as a possible transitional form between the two main families of ticks alive today. Another member of the extinct Deinocrotonidae is described as Deinocroton copia sp. nov., while the first described adult female for Cornupalpatum burmanicum is associated with a dinosaur feather barb.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ben J. Mans
- Epidemiology, Parasites and Vectors, Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Onderstepoort, South Africa
- The Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
- Department of Life and Consumer Sciences, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Stephan Handschuh
- VetCore Facility for Research, Veterinärmedizinische Universität Wien, Veterinärplatz 1, A-1210Vienna, Austria
| | - Jason A. Dunlop
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Invalidenstrasse 43, D-10115Berlin, Germany
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15
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Schäfer M, Pfaff F, Höper D, Silaghi C. Early Transcriptional Changes in the Midgut of Ornithodoros moubata after Feeding and Infection with Borrelia duttonii. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10030525. [PMID: 35336101 PMCID: PMC8948914 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10030525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies on tick-pathogen-host interactions are helping to identify candidates for vaccines against ticks and tick-borne diseases and to discover potent bioactive tick molecules. The tick midgut is the main tissue involved in blood feeding and, moreover, the first organ to have contact with pathogens ingested through the blood meal. As little is known about the molecular biology of feeding and tick defence mechanisms against microorganisms, but important for understanding vector-pathogen interactions, we explored the early transcriptional changes in the midgut of Ornithodoros moubata after feeding and in response to challenge with the relapsing-fever spirochete Borrelia duttonii using the Ion S5XL platform. Besides transcripts with metabolic function and immune-related transcripts we discovered numerous putative and uncharacterized protein sequences. Overall, our analyses support previous studies and provides a valuable reference database for further functional proteomic analysis of midgut proteins of O. moubata.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mandy Schäfer
- Institute of Infectology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany;
- Correspondence:
| | - Florian Pfaff
- Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany; (F.P.); (D.H.)
| | - Dirk Höper
- Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany; (F.P.); (D.H.)
| | - Cornelia Silaghi
- Institute of Infectology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany;
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16
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Microbiomes of Blood-Feeding Arthropods: Genes Coding for Essential Nutrients and Relation to Vector Fitness and Pathogenic Infections. A Review. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9122433. [PMID: 34946034 PMCID: PMC8704530 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9122433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2021] [Revised: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/20/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Blood-feeding arthropods support a diverse array of symbiotic microbes, some of which facilitate host growth and development whereas others are detrimental to vector-borne pathogens. We found a common core constituency among the microbiota of 16 different arthropod blood-sucking disease vectors, including Bacillaceae, Rickettsiaceae, Anaplasmataceae, Sphingomonadaceae, Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonadaceae, Moraxellaceae and Staphylococcaceae. By comparing 21 genomes of common bacterial symbionts in blood-feeding vectors versus non-blooding insects, we found that certain enteric bacteria benefit their hosts by upregulating numerous genes coding for essential nutrients. Bacteria of blood-sucking vectors expressed significantly more genes (p < 0.001) coding for these essential nutrients than those of non-blooding insects. Moreover, compared to endosymbionts, the genomes of enteric bacteria also contained significantly more genes (p < 0.001) that code for the synthesis of essential amino acids and proteins that detoxify reactive oxygen species. In contrast, microbes in non-blood-feeding insects expressed few gene families coding for these nutrient categories. We also discuss specific midgut bacteria essential for the normal development of pathogens (e.g., Leishmania) versus others that were detrimental (e.g., bacterial toxins in mosquitoes lethal to Plasmodium spp.).
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17
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Ferreira Leal B, Sanchez Ferreira CA. Ticks and antibodies: May parasite density and tick evasion influence the outcomes following immunization protocols? Vet Parasitol 2021; 300:109610. [PMID: 34735848 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2021.109610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Revised: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Ticks are a major concern to human health and livestock worldwide, being responsible for economic losses that go beyond billions of US dollars per year. This scenario instigates the development of vaccines against these ectoparasites, emphasized by the fact that the main method of controlling ticks still relies on the use of acaricides, what increases costs and may affect the environment as well as human and animal health. The first commercial vaccines against ectoparasites were produced against the tick Rhipicephalus microplus and their efficacy were based on antibodies. Many additional attempts have been conducted to produce protective immune responses against ticks by immunization with specific antigens and the antibody response has usually been the main target of evaluation. But some controversy still populates the roles possibly performed by humoral responses in tick-mammalian host relationships. This review focuses on the analysis of specific aspects concerning antibodies and ticks, especially the influence of parasite density and evasion/modulation. The immunization trials already described against R. microplus were also compiled and analyzed based on the characteristics of the molecules tested, protocols of immunization and tick challenge. Within these issues, it is discussed if or when antibody levels can be directly correlated with the development of tick resistance, and whether anti-tick protective immune responses generated by infestations may become ineffective under a different tick density. Also, higher titers of antibodies can be correlated with protection or susceptibility to tick infestations, what may be altered following continuous or repeated infestations and differ greatly comparing hosts with distinct genetic backgrounds. Regarding evasion, ticks present a sophisticated mechanism for dealing with antibodies, including Immunoglobulin Binding Proteins (IGBPs), that capture, transport and inject them back into the host, while keeping their properties within the parasite. The comparison of immunization protocols shows a total of 22 molecules already tested in cattle vaccination trials against R. microplus, with the predominance of concealed and dual antigens as well as marked differences in tick challenge schemes. The presence of an antibody evasion apparatus and variable levels of tick resistance when facing different densities of parasites are concerns that should be considered when testing vaccine candidates. Ultimately, more refinement may be necessary to effectively design a cocktail vaccine with tick molecules, which may be needed to be altered and combined in non-competing immune contexts to be universally secure and protective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruna Ferreira Leal
- Laboratório de Imunologia e Microbiologia, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Av. Ipiranga, 6681, 90619-900, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
| | - Carlos Alexandre Sanchez Ferreira
- Laboratório de Imunologia e Microbiologia, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Av. Ipiranga, 6681, 90619-900, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
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18
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Park JM, Oliva Chávez AS, Shaw DK. Ticks: More Than Just a Pathogen Delivery Service. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021; 11:739419. [PMID: 34540723 PMCID: PMC8440996 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.739419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jason M Park
- Program in Vector-Borne Disease, Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, United States
| | - Adela S Oliva Chávez
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Dana K Shaw
- Program in Vector-Borne Disease, Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, United States
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19
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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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20
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Mendoza-Roldan JA, Mendoza-Roldan MA, Otranto D. Reptile vector-borne diseases of zoonotic concern. Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl 2021; 15:132-142. [PMID: 34026483 PMCID: PMC8121771 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2021.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Revised: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Reptile vector-borne diseases (RVBDs) of zoonotic concern are caused by bacteria, protozoa and viruses transmitted by arthropod vectors, which belong to the subclass Acarina (mites and ticks) and the order Diptera (mosquitoes, sand flies and tsetse flies). The phyletic age of reptiles since their origin in the late Carboniferous, has favored vectors and pathogens to co-evolve through millions of years, bridging to the present host-vector-pathogen interactions. The origin of vector-borne diseases is dated to the early cretaceous with Trypanosomatidae species in extinct sand flies, ancestral of modern protozoan hemoparasites of zoonotic concern (e.g., Leishmania and Trypanosoma) associated to reptiles. Bacterial RVBDs are represented by microorganisms also affecting mammals of the genera Aeromonas, Anaplasma, Borrelia, Coxiella, Ehrlichia and Rickettsia, most of them having reptilian clades. Finally, reptiles may play an important role as reservoirs of arborivuses, given the low host specificity of anthropophilic mosquitoes and sand flies. In this review, vector-borne pathogens of zoonotic concern from reptiles are discussed, as well as the interactions between reptiles, arthropod vectors and the zoonotic pathogens they may transmit.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Domenico Otranto
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, Valenzano, Italy
- Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran
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21
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Bakkes DK, Ropiquet A, Chitimia-Dobler L, Matloa DE, Apanaskevich DA, Horak IG, Mans BJ, Matthee CA. Adaptive radiation and speciation in Rhipicephalus ticks: A medley of novel hosts, nested predator-prey food webs, off-host periods and dispersal along temperature variation gradients. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2021; 162:107178. [PMID: 33892098 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2021.107178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2020] [Revised: 03/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Rhipicephalus are a species-diverse genus of ticks, mainly distributed in the Afrotropics with some species in the Palearctic and Oriental regions. Current taxonomic consensus comprise nine informal species groups/lineages based on immature morphology. This work integrates biogeographic, ecological and molecular lines of evidence to better understand Rhipicephalus evolution. Phylogenetic analysis based on four genes (12S, 16S, 28S-D2 and COI) recovered five distinct clades with nine descendant clades that are generally congruent with current taxonomy, with some exceptions. Historical biogeography is inferred from molecular divergence times, ancestral distribution areas, host-use and climate niches of four phylogenetically significant bioclimatic variables (isothermality, annual, seasonal and diurnal temperature range). Novel hosts enabled host-linked dispersal events into new environments, and ticks exploited new hosts through nested predator-prey connections in food webs. Diversification was further induced by climate niche partitioning along gradients in temperature range during off-host periods. Ancestral climate niche estimates corroborated dispersal events by indicating hypothetical ancestors moved into environments with different annual and seasonal temperature ranges along latitudinal gradients. Host size for immature and adult life stages was important for dispersal and subsequent diversification rates. Clades that utilise large, mobile hosts (ungulates and carnivores) early in development have wider geographic ranges but slower diversification rates, and those utilising small, less mobile hosts (rodents, lagomorphs and afroinsectivores) early in development have smaller ranges but higher diversification rates. These findings suggest diversification is driven by a complex set of factors linked to both host-associations (host size, ranges and mobility) and climate niche partitioning along annual and seasonal temperature range gradients that vary with latitude. Moreover, competitive interactions can reinforce these processes and drive speciation. Off-host periods facilitate adaptive radiation by enabling host switches along nested predator-prey connections in food webs, but at the cost of environmental exposure that partitions niches among dispersing progenitors, disrupting geneflow and driving diversification. As such, the evolution and ecological niches of Rhipicephalus are characterised by trade-offs between on- and off-host periods, and these trade-offs interact with nested predator-prey connections in food webs, host-use at different life stages, as well as gradients in annual and seasonal temperature ranges to drive adaptive radiation and speciation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deon K Bakkes
- Gertrud Theiler Tick Museum - Epidemiology, Parasites and Vectors, Agricultural Research Council - Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Pretoria 0110, South Africa; Evolutionary Genomics Group, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa.
| | - Anne Ropiquet
- Evolutionary Genomics Group, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa; Middlesex University, Department of Natural Sciences- Faculty of Science and Technology, London NW4 4BT, United Kingdom
| | | | - Dikeledi E Matloa
- Gertrud Theiler Tick Museum - Epidemiology, Parasites and Vectors, Agricultural Research Council - Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Pretoria 0110, South Africa
| | - Dmitry A Apanaskevich
- United States National Tick Collection, the James H. Oliver, Jr. Institute for Coastal Plain Science, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 30460-8042, USA; Biology Department, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 30460, USA; Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg 199034, Russia
| | - Ivan G Horak
- Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Ben J Mans
- Gertrud Theiler Tick Museum - Epidemiology, Parasites and Vectors, Agricultural Research Council - Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Pretoria 0110, South Africa; Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa; Department of Life and Consumer Sciences, University of South Africa, South Africa
| | - Conrad A Matthee
- Evolutionary Genomics Group, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa
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22
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Orkun Ö, Vatansever Z. Rediscovery and first genetic description of some poorly known tick species: Haemaphysalis kopetdaghica Kerbabaev, 1962 and Dermacentor raskemensis Pomerantzev, 1946. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2021; 12:101726. [PMID: 33857749 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2021.101726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2020] [Revised: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
This study aimed to provide novel information for some poorly known/rare tick species collected from wild goats (Capra aegagrus) in the mountains of Eastern Anatolia, Turkey and to expand upon the available genetic data. The collected ticks were morphologically identified as Haemaphysalis kopetdaghica (all active stages, n = 140), Dermacentor raskemensis (adults, n = 7), Ixodes gibbosus (adults, n = 15), Rhipicephalus kohlsi (female, n = 1), and R. bursa (nymphs, n = 2). A total of 32 engorged ticks (6 larvae, 6 nymphs, and 20 females) collected were allowed to molt to the next stage or for egg laying and larval hatching, respectively. In addition, one R. kohlsi female (previously confirmed by SEM microscopy) collected from a wild goat in the neighboring province of Erzurum was included in this study for further genetic comparison. The partial mitochondrial 16S rDNA and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (barcoding regions) genes of each tick species were sequenced. All DNA samples obtained from the ticks were checked by PCR for the presence of Anaplasma spp., Babesia spp., Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, spotted fever group rickettsiae, and Theileria spp., but were found to be negative. Phylogenetic analyses of the 16S rDNA and cox1 genes were performed using the ML method to determine their genetic relationship with related ticks. As a result, this study has: i) rediscovered and provided two new tick records (H. kopetdaghica and D. raskemensis) for Turkey, ii) provided the first genetic data for H. kopetdaghica and D. raskemensis and revealed their phylogenetic relationships, iii) characterized the cox1 region of I. gibbosus for the first time, and iv) revealed significant genetic diversity between R. kohlsi from Anatolia and R. kohlsi from Oman, suggesting that R. kohlsi could include a cryptic species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ömer Orkun
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey.
| | - Zati Vatansever
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafkas University, Kars, Turkey
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23
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Kozelková T, Doležel D, Grunclová L, Kučera M, Perner J, Kopáček P. Functional characterization of the insulin signaling pathway in the hard tick Ixodes ricinus. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2021; 12:101694. [PMID: 33706210 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2021.101694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Revised: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Ticks are blood-feeding arachnids transmitting a variety of pathogens to humans and animals. A unique trait in tick physiology is their ability to engorge and digest large amounts of host blood, ensuring their high reproductive potential. Activation of the blood digestive machinery in the tick gut, as well as processes controlling maturation of ovaries, are triggered upon blood meal uptake by still largely unknown mechanisms. Sensing of the nutritional status in metazoan organisms is facilitated by the evolutionarily conserved Insulin Signaling Pathway (ISP) and the interlinked Target of Rapamycin (TOR) pathway. Recently, we have identified three components of these pathways in the hard tick Ixodes ricinus midgut transcriptome, namely a putative insulin receptor (InR), and the downstream intracellular serine/threonine kinases AKT and TOR. In this study, we primarily focus on the molecular and functional characterization of the I. ricinus insulin receptor (IrInR), the first InR characterized in Chelicerates. A phylogenetic analysis across the major Arthropod lineages demonstrated that ticks possess only one gene encoding an InR-related molecule. Tissue expression profiling by quantitative PCR in semi-engorged I. ricinus females revealed that the IrInR, as well as AKT (IrAKT) and TOR (IrTOR) are expressed in various organs, with the highest expression being detected in ovaries. We have further evaluated the impact of RNAi-mediated knock-down (KD) of IrInR, IrAKT, and IrTOR on tick blood-feeding and reproductive capacity. Weights of engorged IrInR KD females and laid egg clutches were reduced compared to the control group, and these quantitative parameters clearly correlated with the efficiency of RNAi-KD achieved in individual ticks. The most striking phenotype was observed for IrAKT KD that impaired tick feeding and completely aborted egg production. A recombinant extracellular fragment of the IrInR α-subunit was used to produce antibodies in experimental rabbits to assess its potential as a protective antigen against tick feeding and reproduction. Our data clearly indicate the functionality of the ISP in ticks and demonstrate the need for further investigation of specific roles played by the endogenous insulin-like peptides in tick physiological processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tereza Kozelková
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Branišovská 31, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic; Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - David Doležel
- Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Branišovská 31, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Lenka Grunclová
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Branišovská 31, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Matěj Kučera
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Branišovská 31, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic; Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Perner
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Branišovská 31, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Kopáček
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Branišovská 31, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
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24
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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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25
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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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26
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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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27
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Estrada-Peña A, Nava S, Tarragona E, Bermúdez S, de la Fuente J, Domingos A, Labruna M, Mosqueda J, Merino O, Szabó M, Venzal JM, Guglielmone AA. Species occurrence of ticks in South America, and interactions with biotic and abiotic traits. Sci Data 2019; 6:299. [PMID: 31796749 PMCID: PMC6890768 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-019-0314-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2019] [Accepted: 10/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The datasets of records of the distribution of ticks and their hosts are invaluable tools to understand the phylogenetic patterns of evolution of ticks and the abiotic traits to which they are associated. Such datasets require an exhaustive collection of bibliographical references. In most cases, it is necessary the confirmation of reliable identification of ticks, together with an update of the scientific names of the vertebrate hosts. These data are not easily available, because many records were published in the so-called “grey literature”. Herein, we introduced the Dataset of Ticks in South America, a repository that collates data on 4,764 records of ticks (4,124 geo-referenced) with a special reference to an extra 2,370 records of ticks on cattle, together with a set of abiotic traits, curated from satellite-derived information over the complete target region. The dataset includes details of the phylogenetic relationships of the species of hosts, providing researchers with both biotic and abiotic traits that drive the distribution and evolution of ticks in South America. Measurement(s) | climate • tick infestation • Host-Parasite Relationship • phylogenetic data | Technology Type(s) | satellite imaging • digital curation | Factor Type(s) | time • species of vertebrate host | Sample Characteristic - Organism | Ixodidae | Sample Characteristic - Environment | terrestrial environmental zone | Sample Characteristic - Location | South America • Neotropics |
Machine-accessible metadata file describing the reported data: 10.6084/m9.figshare.10108703
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Affiliation(s)
- Agustin Estrada-Peña
- Department of Animal Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zaragoza, Spain.
| | | | | | - Sergio Bermúdez
- Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios de la Salud, Panama City, Panama
| | - José de la Fuente
- SaBio, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC-CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ronda de Toledo s/n, 13005, Ciudad Real, Spain.,Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA
| | - Ana Domingos
- Global Healyh and Tropical Medicine, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | | | - Juan Mosqueda
- Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Querétaro, México
| | | | - Matias Szabó
- Universidade Federal de Überlandia, Überlandia, MG, Brazil
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28
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Margos G, Fingerle V, Cutler S, Gofton A, Stevenson B, Estrada-Peña A. Controversies in bacterial taxonomy: The example of the genus Borrelia. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2019; 11:101335. [PMID: 31836459 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2019.101335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2019] [Revised: 11/15/2019] [Accepted: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
In this paper we survey key issues in bacterial taxonomy and review the literature regarding the recent genus separation proposed for the genus Borrelia. We discuss how information on members of the genus Borrelia is increasing but detailed knowledge on the relevant features is available only for a small subset of species. The data accumulated here show that there is considerable overlap in ecology, clinical aspects and molecular features between clades that argue against splitting of the genus Borrelia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Margos
- Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, German National Reference Center for Borrelia, Veterinärstr. 2, Oberschleissheim, Germany.
| | - Volker Fingerle
- Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, German National Reference Center for Borrelia, Veterinärstr. 2, Oberschleissheim, Germany
| | - Sally Cutler
- School of Health, Sport and Bioscience, University of East London, London E15 4LZ, UK
| | - Alexander Gofton
- Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO, Black Mountain, Clunies Ross St, Acton, ACT, 2901, Australia
| | - Brian Stevenson
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, and Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, 40502, USA
| | - Agustín Estrada-Peña
- Department of Animal Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Miguel Servet, 177, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain
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29
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Wang T, Zhang S, Pei T, Yu Z, Liu J. Tick mitochondrial genomes: structural characteristics and phylogenetic implications. Parasit Vectors 2019; 12:451. [PMID: 31519208 PMCID: PMC6743180 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-019-3705-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2019] [Accepted: 09/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Ticks are obligate blood-sucking arachnid ectoparasites from the order Acarina, and many are notorious as vectors of a wide variety of zoonotic pathogens. However, the systematics of ticks in several genera is still controversial. The mitochondrial genome (mt-genome) has been widely used in arthropod phylogeny, molecular evolution and population genetics. With the development of sequencing technologies, an increasing number of tick mt-genomes have been sequenced and annotated. To date, 63 complete tick mt-genomes are available in the NCBI database, and these genomes have become an increasingly important genetic resource and source of molecular markers in phylogenetic studies of ticks in recent years. The present review summarizes all available complete mt-genomes of ticks in the NCBI database and analyses their characteristics, including structure, base composition and gene arrangement. Furthermore, a phylogenetic tree was constructed using mitochondrial protein-coding genes (PCGs) and ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes from ticks. The results will provide important clues for deciphering new tick mt-genomes and establish a foundation for subsequent taxonomic research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianhong Wang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, 050024 China
| | - Shiqi Zhang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, 050024 China
| | - Tingwei Pei
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, 050024 China
| | - Zhijun Yu
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, 050024 China
| | - Jingze Liu
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, 050024 China
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30
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Charrier NP, Hermouet A, Hervet C, Agoulon A, Barker SC, Heylen D, Toty C, McCoy KD, Plantard O, Rispe C. A transcriptome-based phylogenetic study of hard ticks (Ixodidae). Sci Rep 2019; 9:12923. [PMID: 31501478 PMCID: PMC6733903 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-49641-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Hard ticks are widely distributed across temperate regions, show strong variation in host associations, and are potential vectors of a diversity of medically important zoonoses, such as Lyme disease. To address unresolved issues with respect to the evolutionary relationships among certain species or genera, we produced novel RNA-Seq data sets for nine different Ixodes species. We combined this new data with 18 data sets obtained from public databases, both for Ixodes and non-Ixodes hard tick species, using soft ticks as an outgroup. We assembled transcriptomes (for 27 species in total), predicted coding sequences and identified single copy orthologues (SCO). Using Maximum-likelihood and Bayesian frameworks, we reconstructed a hard tick phylogeny for the nuclear genome. We also obtained a mitochondrial DNA-based phylogeny using published genome sequences and mitochondrial sequences derived from the new transcriptomes. Our results confirm previous studies showing that the Ixodes genus is monophyletic and clarify the relationships among Ixodes sub-genera. This work provides a baseline for studying the evolutionary history of ticks: we indeed found an unexpected acceleration of substitutions for mitochondrial sequences of Prostriata, and for nuclear and mitochondrial genes of two species of Rhipicephalus, which we relate with patterns of genome architecture and changes of life-cycle, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Stephen C Barker
- Department of Parasitology, School of Chemistry & Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia
| | - Dieter Heylen
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
- Interuniversity Institute for Biostatistics and statistical Bioinformatics, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Céline Toty
- Laboratoire MIVEGEC (Maladies Infectieuses et Vecteurs: Ecologie, Génétique, Evolution & Contrôle), Université de Montpellier, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (UMR5290), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (UR224), Montpellier, France
| | - Karen D McCoy
- Laboratoire MIVEGEC (Maladies Infectieuses et Vecteurs: Ecologie, Génétique, Evolution & Contrôle), Université de Montpellier, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (UMR5290), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (UR224), Montpellier, France
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31
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Díaz-Sánchez S, Estrada-Peña A, Cabezas-Cruz A, de la Fuente J. Evolutionary Insights into the Tick Hologenome. Trends Parasitol 2019; 35:725-737. [PMID: 31331734 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2019.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2019] [Revised: 06/21/2019] [Accepted: 06/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Recently, our knowledge of the composition and complexity of tick microbial communities has increased and supports microbial impact on tick biology. Results support a phylogenetic association between ticks and their microbiota across evolution; this is known as phylosymbiosis. Herein, using published datasets, we confirm the existence of phylosymbiosis between Ixodes ticks and their microbial communities. The strong phylosymbiotic signal and the phylogenetic structure of microbial communities associated with Ixodid ticks revealed that phylosymbiosis may be a widespread phenomenon in tick-microbiota evolution. This finding supports the existence of a species-specific tick hologenome with a largely unexplored influence on tick biology and pathogen transmission. These results may provide potential targets for the construction of paratransgenic ticks to control tick infestations and tick-borne diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Díaz-Sánchez
- SaBio, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC-CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo s/n, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain.
| | | | - Alejandro Cabezas-Cruz
- UMR BIPAR, INRA, ANSES, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, Université Paris-Est, Maisons-Alfort, 94700, France
| | - José de la Fuente
- SaBio, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC-CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo s/n, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain; Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA.
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32
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RNA-seq analysis of the salivary glands and midgut of the Argasid tick Ornithodoros rostratus. Sci Rep 2019; 9:6764. [PMID: 31043627 PMCID: PMC6494864 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-42899-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2019] [Accepted: 03/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Ornithodoros rostratus is a South American argasid tick which importance relies on its itchy bite and potential as disease vector. They feed on a wide variety of hosts and secrete different molecules in their saliva and intestinal content that counteract host defences and help to accommodate and metabolize the relatively large quantity of blood upon feeding. The present work describes the transcriptome profile of salivary gland (SG) and midgut (MG) of O. rostratus using Illumina sequencing. A total of 8,031 contigs were assembled and assigned to different functional classes. Secreted proteins were the most abundant in the SG and accounted for ~67% of all expressed transcripts with contigs with identity to lipocalins and acid tail proteins being the most representative. On the other hand, immunity genes were upregulated in MG with a predominance of defensins and lysozymes. Only 10 transcripts in SG and 8 in MG represented ~30% of all RNA expressed in each tissue and one single contig (the acid tail protein ORN-9707) represented ~7% of all expressed contigs in SG. Results highlight the functional difference of each organ and identified the most expressed classes and contigs of O. rostratus SG and MG.
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33
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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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Haem Biology in Metazoan Parasites - 'The Bright Side of Haem'. Trends Parasitol 2019; 35:213-225. [PMID: 30686614 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2019.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2018] [Revised: 01/04/2019] [Accepted: 01/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Traditionally, host haem has been recognized as a cytotoxic molecule that parasites need to eliminate or detoxify in order to survive. However, recent evidence indicates that some lineages of parasites have lost genes that encode enzymes involved specifically in endogenous haem biosynthesis. Such lineages thus need to acquire and utilize haem originating from their host animal, making it an indispensable molecule for their survival and reproduction. In multicellular parasites, host haem needs to be systemically distributed throughout their bodies to meet the haem demands in all cell and tissue types. Host haem also gets deposited in parasite eggs, enabling embryogenesis and reproduction. Clearly, a better understanding of haem biology in multicellular parasites should elucidate organismal adaptations to obligatory blood-feeding.
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35
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Abstract
Improved understanding of tick phylogeny has allowed testing of some biogeographical patterns. On the basis of both literature data and a meta-analysis of available sequence data, there is strong support for a Gondwanan origin of Ixodidae, and probably Ixodida. A particularly strong pattern is observed for the genus Amblyomma, which appears to have originated in Antarctica/southern South America, with subsequent dispersal to Australia. The endemic Australian lineages of Ixodidae (no other continent has such a pattern) appear to result from separate dispersal events, probably from Antarctica. Minimum ages for a number of divergences are determined as part of an updated temporal framework for tick evolution. Alternative hypotheses for tick evolution, such as a very old Pangean group, a Northern hemisphere origin, or an Australian origin, fit less well with observed phylogeographic patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenza Beati
- Institute for Coastal Plain Science and US National Tick Collection, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia 30460, USA;
| | - Hans Klompen
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology and Museum of Biological Diversity, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43212, USA
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Burrow HM, Mans BJ, Cardoso FF, Birkett MA, Kotze AC, Hayes BJ, Mapholi N, Dzama K, Marufu MC, Githaka NW, Djikeng A. Towards a new phenotype for tick resistance in beef and dairy cattle: a review. ANIMAL PRODUCTION SCIENCE 2019. [DOI: 10.1071/an18487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
About 80% of the world’s cattle are affected by ticks and tick-borne diseases, both of which cause significant production losses. Cattle host resistance to ticks is the most important factor affecting the economics of tick control, but it is largely neglected in tick-control programs due to technical difficulties and costs associated with identifying individual-animal variation in resistance. The present paper reviews the scientific literature to identify factors affecting resistance of cattle to ticks and the biological mechanisms of host tick resistance, to develop alternative phenotype(s) for tick resistance. If new cost-effective phenotype(s) can be developed and validated, then tick resistance of cattle could be genetically improved using genomic selection, and incorporated into breeding objectives to simultaneously improve cattle productive attributes and tick resistance. The phenotype(s) could also be used to improve tick control by using cattle management. On the basis of the present review, it is recommended that three possible phenotypes (haemolytic analysis; measures of skin hypersensitivity reactions; simplified artificial tick infestations) be further developed to determine their practical feasibility for consistently, cost-effectively and reliably measuring cattle tick resistance in thousands of individual animals in commercial and smallholder farmer herds in tropical and subtropical areas globally. During evaluation of these potential new phenotypes, additional measurements should be included to determine the possibility of developing a volatile-based resistance phenotype, to simultaneously improve cattle resistance to both ticks and biting flies. Because the current measurements of volatile chemistry do not satisfy the requirements of a simple, cost-effective phenotype for use in commercial cattle herds, consideration should also be given to inclusion of potentially simpler measures to enable indirect genetic selection for volatile-based resistance to ticks.
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37
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Arthropod venoms: Biochemistry, ecology and evolution. Toxicon 2018; 158:84-103. [PMID: 30529476 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2018.11.433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2018] [Revised: 11/20/2018] [Accepted: 11/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Comprising of over a million described species of highly diverse invertebrates, Arthropoda is amongst the most successful animal lineages to have colonized aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic domains. Venom, one of the many fascinating traits to have evolved in various members of this phylum, has underpinned their adaptation to diverse habitats. Over millions of years of evolution, arthropods have evolved ingenious ways of delivering venom in their targets for self-defence and predation. The morphological diversity of venom delivery apparatus in arthropods is astounding, and includes extensively modified pedipalps, tail (telson), mouth parts (hypostome), fangs, appendages (maxillulae), proboscis, ovipositor (stinger), and hair (urticating bristles). Recent investigations have also unravelled an astonishing venom biocomplexity with molecular scaffolds being recruited from a multitude of protein families. Venoms are a remarkable bioresource for discovering lead compounds in targeted therapeutics. Several components with prospective applications in the development of advanced lifesaving drugs and environment friendly bio-insecticides have been discovered from arthropod venoms. Despite these fascinating features, the composition, bioactivity, and molecular evolution of venom in several arthropod lineages remains largely understudied. This review highlights the prevalence of venom, its mode of toxic action, and the evolutionary dynamics of venom in Arthropoda, the most speciose phylum in the animal kingdom.
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Artigas-Jerónimo S, Villar M, Cabezas-Cruz A, Valdés JJ, Estrada-Peña A, Alberdi P, de la Fuente J. Functional Evolution of Subolesin/Akirin. Front Physiol 2018; 9:1612. [PMID: 30542290 PMCID: PMC6277881 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2018.01612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2018] [Accepted: 10/25/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The Subolesin/Akirin constitutes a good model for the study of functional evolution because these proteins have been conserved throughout the metazoan and play a role in the regulation of different biological processes. Here, we investigated the evolutionary history of Subolesin/Akirin with recent results on their structure, protein-protein interactions and function in different species to provide insights into the functional evolution of these regulatory proteins, and their potential as vaccine antigens for the control of ectoparasite infestations and pathogen infection. The results suggest that Subolesin/Akirin evolved conserving not only its sequence and structure, but also its function and role in cell interactome and regulome in response to pathogen infection and other biological processes. This functional conservation provides a platform for further characterization of the function of these regulatory proteins, and how their evolution can meet species-specific demands. Furthermore, the conserved functional evolution of Subolesin/Akirin correlates with the protective capacity shown by these proteins in vaccine formulations for the control of different arthropod and pathogen species. These results encourage further research to characterize the structure and function of these proteins, and to develop new vaccine formulations by combining Subolesin/Akirin with interacting proteins for the control of multiple ectoparasite infestations and pathogen infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Artigas-Jerónimo
- SaBio, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC), CSIC, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM), Junta de Comunidades de Castilla – La Mancha (JCCM), Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Margarita Villar
- SaBio, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC), CSIC, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM), Junta de Comunidades de Castilla – La Mancha (JCCM), Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Alejandro Cabezas-Cruz
- UMR BIPAR, INRA, ANSES, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort, Université Paris-Est, Paris, France
| | - James J. Valdés
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czechia
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czechia
- Department of Virology, Veterinary Research Institute, Brno, Czechia
| | | | - Pilar Alberdi
- SaBio, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC), CSIC, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM), Junta de Comunidades de Castilla – La Mancha (JCCM), Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - José de la Fuente
- SaBio, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC), CSIC, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM), Junta de Comunidades de Castilla – La Mancha (JCCM), Ciudad Real, Spain
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, United States
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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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40
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Ixodid tick salivary gland extracts suppress human transforming growth factor-β1 triggered signalling pathways in cervical carcinoma cells. Biologia (Bratisl) 2018. [DOI: 10.2478/s11756-018-0129-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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41
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Dantas-Torres F. Species Concepts: What about Ticks? Trends Parasitol 2018; 34:1017-1026. [PMID: 30343986 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2018.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2018] [Revised: 09/19/2018] [Accepted: 09/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Since ancient times, philosophers and taxonomists have tried to classify forms of life. This is what taxonomy is about: the science of identifying, naming, classifying, and describing organisms. In this article I address the issue of the species concept in tick taxonomy. While the typological species concept is still the most widely used, the biological and phylogenetic species concepts are growing in popularity among tick taxonomists. The integrative approach is increasingly being used, but the question is how to define a tick species when using this approach, particularly if data are incongruent. The adoption of an integrative species concept is discussed, in light of recent advances in our understanding of the genetics, morphology, and biology of ticks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filipe Dantas-Torres
- Laboratory of Immunoparasitology, Department of Immunology, Aggeu Magalhães Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), 50740-465 Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.
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42
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Mans BJ, Featherston J, Kvas M, Pillay KA, de Klerk DG, Pienaar R, de Castro MH, Schwan TG, Lopez JE, Teel P, Pérez de León AA, Sonenshine DE, Egekwu NI, Bakkes DK, Heyne H, Kanduma EG, Nyangiwe N, Bouattour A, Latif AA. Argasid and ixodid systematics: Implications for soft tick evolution and systematics, with a new argasid species list. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2018; 10:219-240. [PMID: 30309738 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2018.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2018] [Revised: 07/02/2018] [Accepted: 09/22/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
The systematics of the genera and subgenera within the soft tick family Argasidae is not adequately resolved. Different classification schemes, reflecting diverse schools of scientific thought that elevated or downgraded groups to genera or subgenera, have been proposed. In the most recent classification scheme, Argas and Ornithodoros are paraphyletic and the placement of various subgenera remains uncertain because molecular data are lacking. Thus, reclassification of the Argasidae is required. This will enable an understanding of soft tick systematics within an evolutionary context. This study addressed that knowledge gap using mitochondrial genome and nuclear (18S and 28S ribosomal RNA) sequence data for representatives of the subgenera Alectorobius, Argas, Chiropterargas, Ogadenus, Ornamentum, Ornithodoros, Navis (subgen. nov.), Pavlovskyella, Persicargas, Proknekalia, Reticulinasus and Secretargas, from the Afrotropical, Nearctic and Palearctic regions. Hard tick species (Ixodidae) and a new representative of Nuttalliella namaqua (Nuttalliellidae), were also sequenced with a total of 83 whole mitochondrial genomes, 18S rRNA and 28S rRNA genes generated. The study confirmed the utility of next-generation sequencing to retrieve systematic markers. Paraphyly of Argas and Ornithodoros was resolved by systematic analysis and a new species list is proposed. This corresponds broadly with the morphological cladistic analysis of Klompen and Oliver (1993). Estimation of divergence times using molecular dating allowed dissection of phylogeographic patterns for argasid evolution. The discovery of cryptic species in the subgenera Chiropterargas, Ogadenus and Ornithodoros, suggests that cryptic speciation is common within the Argasidae. Cryptic speciation has implications for past biological studies of soft ticks. These are discussed in particular for the Ornithodoros (Ornithodoros) moubata and Ornithodoros (Ornithodoros) savignyi groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben J Mans
- Epidemiology, Parasites and Vectors, Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa; Department of Life and Consumer Sciences, University of South Africa, South Africa.
| | - Jonathan Featherston
- The Biotechnology Platform, Agricultural Research Council-Biotechnology Platform, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa
| | - Marija Kvas
- The Biotechnology Platform, Agricultural Research Council-Biotechnology Platform, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa
| | - Kerry-Anne Pillay
- The Biotechnology Platform, Agricultural Research Council-Biotechnology Platform, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa
| | - Daniel G de Klerk
- Epidemiology, Parasites and Vectors, Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa
| | - Ronel Pienaar
- Epidemiology, Parasites and Vectors, Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa
| | - Minique H de Castro
- Epidemiology, Parasites and Vectors, Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa
| | - Tom G Schwan
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Hamilton, MT, United States
| | - Job E Lopez
- Department of Paediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Paediatric Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Pete Teel
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Adalberto A Pérez de León
- USDA-ARS Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory and Veterinary Pest Genomics Center, Kerrville, TX, United States
| | - Daniel E Sonenshine
- Department of Biological Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, United States; Vector Biology Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIH), Rockville, MD, United States
| | - Noble I Egekwu
- Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C., United States
| | - Deon K Bakkes
- Epidemiology, Parasites and Vectors, Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa
| | - Heloise Heyne
- Epidemiology, Parasites and Vectors, Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa
| | - Esther G Kanduma
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, University of Nairobi, P.O BOX 30197, 00100, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Nkululeko Nyangiwe
- Döhne Agricultural Development Institute, Private Bag X15, Stutterheim, 4930, South Africa
| | - Ali Bouattour
- Laboratoire d'Entomologie, Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Abdalla A Latif
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, Westville, South Africa
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Oleaga A, Obolo-Mvoulouga P, Manzano-Román R, Pérez-Sánchez R. De novo assembly and analysis of midgut transcriptome of the argasid tick Ornithodoros erraticus and identification of genes differentially expressed after blood feeding. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2018; 9:1537-1554. [PMID: 30093291 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2018.06.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2018] [Revised: 06/11/2018] [Accepted: 06/26/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Ticks are hematophagous vectors of great medical and veterinary importance because they transmit numerous pathogenic microorganisms to humans and animals. The argasid Ornithodoros erraticus is the main vector of tick-borne human relapsing fever and African swine fever in the Mediterranean Basin. Tick enterocytes express bioactive molecules that perform key functions in blood digestion, feeding, toxic waste processing and pathogen transmission. To explore new strategies for tick control, in this work we have obtained and compared the midgut transcriptomes of O. erraticus female ticks before and after a blood meal and identified the genes whose expression is differentially regulated after feeding. The transcript sequences were annotated, functionally and structurally characterised and their expression levels compared between both physiological conditions (unfed females and fed females at 2 days post-engorgement). Up to 29,025 transcripts were assembled, and 9290 of them corresponded to differentially expressed genes (DEGs) after feeding. Of these, 4656 genes were upregulated and nearly the same number of genes was downregulated in fed females compared to unfed females. BLASTN and BLASTX analyses of the 29,025 transcripts allowed the annotation of 9072 transcripts/proteins. Among them, the most numerous were those with catalytic and binding activities and those involved in diverse metabolic pathways and cellular processes. The analyses of functional groups of upregulated DEGs potentially related to the digestion of proteins, carbohydrates and lipids, and the genes involved in the defence response and response to oxidative stress, confirm that these processes are narrowly regulated in ticks, highlighting their complexity and importance in tick biology. The expression patterns of six genes throughout the blood digestion period revealed significant differences between these patterns, strongly suggesting that the transcriptome composition is highly dynamic and subjected to important variation along the trophogonic cycle. This may guide future studies aimed at improving the understanding of the molecular physiology of tick digestion and digestion-related processes. The current work provides a more robust and comprehensive understanding of the argasid tick digestive system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Oleaga
- Parasitology Laboratory, Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology (IRNASA, CSIC), Cordel de Merinas, 40-52, 37008 Salamanca, Spain.
| | - Prosper Obolo-Mvoulouga
- Parasitology Laboratory, Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology (IRNASA, CSIC), Cordel de Merinas, 40-52, 37008 Salamanca, Spain.
| | - Raúl Manzano-Román
- Parasitology Laboratory, Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology (IRNASA, CSIC), Cordel de Merinas, 40-52, 37008 Salamanca, Spain.
| | - Ricardo Pérez-Sánchez
- Parasitology Laboratory, Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology (IRNASA, CSIC), Cordel de Merinas, 40-52, 37008 Salamanca, Spain.
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44
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Estrada-Peña A, de la Fuente J. The fossil record and the origin of ticks revisited. EXPERIMENTAL & APPLIED ACAROLOGY 2018; 75:255-261. [PMID: 29721759 DOI: 10.1007/s10493-018-0261-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2018] [Accepted: 04/28/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The fossil record of ticks has been classically used to discern the probable vicariance events of these arthropods, and to date the split moments of the different lineages. Although new techniques based on molecular clock methods are already available, tick fossil record still stands as a valuable source of information if correctly interpreted. Here we report about a male specimen of Ornithodoros (Alectorobius) sp. found in Dominican amber of about 25 millions years, illustrating its main morphological features. We also discuss the findings in a recent paper, which may contain unreliable interpretations on some fossil ticks. We support previous data on the presence of Argasidae in Miocene Dominican amber, and provide comments on the presence of ticks in Burmese amber. We further elaborate on the spread of ticks in the light of the record and description of a new family found in Cretaceous amber.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agustín Estrada-Peña
- Department of Animal Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zaragoza, Miguel Servet 177, 50013, Saragossa, Spain.
| | - José de la Fuente
- SaBio. Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), 13005, Ciudad Real, Spain
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA
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45
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Liu ZQ, Liu YF, Kuermanali N, Wang DF, Chen SJ, Guo HL, Zhao L, Wang JW, Han T, Wang YZ, Wang J, Shen CF, Zhang ZZ, Chen CF. Sequencing of complete mitochondrial genomes confirms synonymization of Hyalomma asiaticum asiaticum and kozlovi, and advances phylogenetic hypotheses for the Ixodidae. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0197524. [PMID: 29768482 PMCID: PMC5955544 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0197524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2018] [Accepted: 05/03/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Phylogeny of hard ticks (Ixodidae) remains unresolved. Mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) are increasingly used to resolve phylogenetic controversies, but remain unavailable for the entire large Hyalomma genus. Hyalomma asiaticum is a parasitic tick distributed throughout the Asia. As a result of great morphological variability, two subspecies have been recognised historically; until a morphological data-based synonymization was proposed. However, this hypothesis was never tested using molecular data. Therefore, objectives of this study were to: 1. sequence the first Hyalomma mitogenome; 2. scrutinise the proposed synonymization using molecular data, i.e. complete mitogenomes of both subspecies: H. a. asiaticum and kozlovi; 3. conduct phylogenomic and comparative analyses of all available Ixodidae mitogenomes. Results corroborate the proposed synonymization: the two mitogenomes are almost identical (99.6%). Genomic features of both mitogenomes are standard for Metastriata; which includes the presence of two control regions and all three "Tick-Box" motifs. Gene order and strand distribution are perfectly conserved for the entire Metastriata group. Suspecting compositional biases, we conducted phylogenetic analyses (29 almost complete mitogenomes) using homogeneous and heterogeneous (CAT) models of substitution. The results were congruent, apart from the deep-level topology of prostriate ticks (Ixodes): the homogeneous model produced a monophyletic Ixodes, but the CAT model produced a paraphyletic Ixodes (and thereby Prostriata), divided into Australasian and non-Australasian clades. This topology implies that all metastriate ticks have evolved from the ancestor of the non-Australian branch of prostriate ticks. Metastriata was divided into three clades: 1. Amblyomminae and Rhipicephalinae (Rhipicephalus, Hyalomma, Dermacentor); 2. Haemaphysalinae and Bothriocrotoninae, plus Amblyomma sphenodonti; 3. Amblyomma elaphense, basal to all Metastriata. We conclude that mitogenomes have the potential to resolve the long-standing debate about the evolutionary history of ticks, but heterogeneous evolutionary models should be used to alleviate the effects of compositional heterogeneity on deep-level relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhi-Qiang Liu
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Xinjiang Academy of Animal Science, Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China
| | - Yan-Feng Liu
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China
| | - Nuer Kuermanali
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Xinjiang Academy of Animal Science, Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China
| | - Deng-Feng Wang
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Xinjiang Academy of Animal Science, Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China
| | - Shi-Jun Chen
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Xinjiang Academy of Animal Science, Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China
| | - Hui-Ling Guo
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Xinjiang Academy of Animal Science, Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China
| | - Li Zhao
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Xinjiang Academy of Animal Science, Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China
| | - Jun-Wei Wang
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Xinjiang Academy of Animal Science, Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China
| | - Tao Han
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Xinjiang Academy of Animal Science, Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China
| | - Yuan-Zhi Wang
- School of Medicine, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China
| | - Jie Wang
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Xinjiang Academy of Animal Science, Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China
| | - Chen-Feng Shen
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Xinjiang Academy of Animal Science, Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China
| | - Zhuang-Zhi Zhang
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Xinjiang Academy of Animal Science, Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China
| | - Chuang-Fu Chen
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China
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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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Estrada-Peña A, Álvarez-Jarreta J, Cabezas-Cruz A. Reservoir and vector evolutionary pressures shaped the adaptation of Borrelia. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2018; 66:308-318. [PMID: 29654924 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2018.03.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2017] [Revised: 03/23/2018] [Accepted: 03/24/2018] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
The life cycle of spirochetes of the genus Borrelia includes complex networks of vertebrates and ticks. The tripartite association of Borrelia-vertebrate-tick has proved ecologically successful for these bacteria, which have become some of the most prominent tick-borne pathogens in the northern hemisphere. To keep evolutionary pace with its double-host life history, Borrelia must adapt to the evolutionary pressures exerted by both sets of hosts. In this review, we attempt to reconcile functional, phylogenetic, and ecological perspectives to propose a coherent scenario of Borrelia evolution. Available empirical information supports that the association of Borrelia with ticks is very old. The major split between the tick families Argasidae-Ixodidae (dated some 230-290 Mya) resulted in most relapsing fever (Rf) species being restricted to Argasidae and few associated with Ixodidae. A further key event produced the diversification of the Lyme borreliosis (Lb) species: the radiation of ticks of the genus Ixodes from the primitive stock of Ixodidae (around 217 Mya). The ecological interactions of Borrelia demonstrate that Argasidae-transmitted Rf species remain restricted to small niches of one tick species and few vertebrates. The evolutionary pressures on this group are consequently low, and speciation processes seem to be driven by geographical isolation. In contrast to Rf, Lb species circulate in nested networks of dozens of tick species and hundreds of vertebrate species. This greater variety confers a remarkably variable pool of evolutionary pressures, resulting in large speciation of the Lb group, where different species adapt to circulate through different groups of vertebrates. Available data, based on ospA and multilocus sequence typing (including eight concatenated in-house genes) phylogenetic trees, suggest that ticks could constitute a secondary bottleneck that contributes to Lb specialization. Both sets of adaptive pressures contribute to the resilience of highly adaptable meta-populations of bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jorge Álvarez-Jarreta
- Institute of Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Alejandro Cabezas-Cruz
- UMR BIPAR, INRA, ANSES, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, Université Paris-Est, Maisons-Alfort 94700, France; Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, 37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic; Institute of Parasitology, Biology Center, Czech Academy of Sciences, 37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
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Abstract
AbstractThe first fossil potentially assignable to the extant hard tick genus Haemaphysalis CL Koch (1844) (Ixodida: Ixodidae) is described from the Late Cretaceous (ca. 99 Ma) Burmese amber of Myanmar. Haemaphysalis (Alloceraea) cretacea sp. nov. is the oldest and only fossil representative of this genus; living members of which predominantly feed on mammals. Their typical hosts are known since at least the Jurassic and the discovery of a mid-Cretaceous parasite, which might have fed on mammals raises again the question of to what extent ticks are coupled to their (modern) host groups. An inferred Triassic split of Argasidae (soft ticks) into the bird-preferring Argasinae and mammal-preferring Ornithodorinae dates to about the time when dinosaurs (later including birds) and mammaliaforms as potential hosts were emerging. Ixodidae may have split into Prostriata and Metastriata shortly after the end-Permian mass extinction, an event which fundamentally altered the terrestrial vertebrate fauna. Prostriata (the genus Ixodes) prefer birds and mammals today, and some may have used groups like cynodonts in the Triassic. Basal metastriate ticks (e.g. Amblyomma) prefer reptiles, but derived metastriates (including Haemaphysalis) again prefer mammals. Here, we may be looking at a younger (Cretaceous?) shift associated with more recent mammalian radiations.
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Pienaar R, de Klerk DG, Putterill JF, Mans BJ. Notes on maternal behaviour in soft ticks: Specifically observed in Argas (Argas) striatus Bedford, 1932 and Argas (Secretargas) transgariepinus White, 1846. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2018; 9:889-895. [PMID: 29598898 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2018.03.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2017] [Revised: 02/20/2018] [Accepted: 03/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Maternal behaviour (carrying of larvae on the opisthosoma) in ticks has thus far only been observed in Antricola (Parantricola) marginatus and was considered a unique derived adaptation of this genus. The authors extend this observation to two additional argasid species, namely Argas (Argas) striatus and Argas (Secretargas) transgariepinus. In addition, brooding behaviour over eggs were observed with A. (S.) transgariepinus. Maternal behaviour may be an evolutionary adaptation to ecological challenges in habitats unsuited for larval survival and may be related to the presence of pulvilli in larvae. This adaptation might have been present in the ancestral tick lineage since pulvilli occur in all tick families, and may have been derived from a more ancient adaptation in chelicerates where maternal behaviour was common. Female A. (S.) transgariepinus also possess a unique area on their ventral abdomen that is absent in males and may be a unique adaptation for maternal behaviour in this species. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA genes for both species indicate that they are unique lineages that group basal to other members of the Argas genus, supporting the possibility that they harbour ancestral traits for this group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronel Pienaar
- Epidemiology, Parasites and Vectors, Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa.
| | - Daniel G de Klerk
- Epidemiology, Parasites and Vectors, Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa
| | - John F Putterill
- Epidemiology, Parasites and Vectors, Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa
| | - Ben J Mans
- Epidemiology, Parasites and Vectors, Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa; Department of Life and Consumer Sciences, University of South Africa, South Africa.
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50
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Gerhart JG, Auguste Dutcher H, Brenner AE, Moses AS, Grubhoffer L, Raghavan R. Multiple Acquisitions of Pathogen-Derived Francisella Endosymbionts in Soft Ticks. Genome Biol Evol 2018; 10:607-615. [PMID: 29385445 PMCID: PMC5804916 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evy021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacterial endosymbionts of ticks are of interest due to their close evolutionary relationships with tick-vectored pathogens. For instance, whereas many ticks contain Francisella-like endosymbionts (FLEs), others transmit the mammalian pathogen Francisella tularensis. We recently sequenced the genome of an FLE present in the hard tick Amblyomma maculatum (FLE-Am) and showed that it likely evolved from a pathogenic ancestor. In order to expand our understanding of FLEs, in the current study we sequenced the genome of an FLE in the soft tick Ornithodoros moubata and compared it to the genomes of FLE-Am, Francisella persica-an FLE in the soft tick Argus (Persicargas) arboreus, Francisella sp. MA067296-a clinical isolate responsible for an opportunistic human infection, and F. tularensis, the established human pathogen. We determined that FLEs and MA067296 belonged to a sister taxon of mammalian pathogens, and contained inactivated versions of virulence genes present in F. tularensis, indicating that the most recent common ancestor shared by FLEs and F. tularensis was a potential mammalian pathogen. Our analyses also revealed that the two soft ticks (O. moubata and A. arboreus) probably acquired their FLEs separately, suggesting that the virulence attenuation observed in FLEs are not the consequence of a single acquisition event followed by speciation, but probably due to independent transitions of pathogenic francisellae into nonpathogenic FLEs within separate tick lineages. Additionally, we show that FLEs encode intact pathways for the production of several B vitamins and cofactors, denoting that they could function as nutrient-provisioning endosymbionts in ticks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan G Gerhart
- Biology Department and Center for Life in Extreme Environments, Portland State University
- Present address: Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, Entomology Branch, Center for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
| | - H Auguste Dutcher
- Biology Department and Center for Life in Extreme Environments, Portland State University
| | - Amanda E Brenner
- Biology Department and Center for Life in Extreme Environments, Portland State University
| | - Abraham S Moses
- Biology Department and Center for Life in Extreme Environments, Portland State University
| | - Libor Grubhoffer
- Biology Centre CAS, Institute of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Rahul Raghavan
- Biology Department and Center for Life in Extreme Environments, Portland State University
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