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Costa GCA, Ribeiro ICT, Giunchetti RC, Gontijo NF, Sant'Anna MRV, Pereira MH, Pessoa GCD, Koerich LB, Oliveira F, Valenzuela JG, Fujiwara RT, Bartholomeu DC, Araujo RN. Gut membrane proteins as candidate antigens for immunization of mice against the tick Amblyomma sculptum. Vaccine 2024; 42:126141. [PMID: 39033080 PMCID: PMC11346513 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.07.042] [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: 04/22/2024] [Revised: 06/18/2024] [Accepted: 07/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024]
Abstract
Amblyomma sculptum is widely distributed in Brazil and is the main vector of Rickettsia rickettsii, the causative agent of the Brazilian spotted fever (BSF). Tick gut proteins play an essential role in blood feeding, digestion, and protection of gut epithelium. Therefore, many of these were investigated as potential vaccine targets for tick-control strategies. The present study aimed to select transcripts corresponding to putative immunogenic proteins in the A. sculptum gut epithelial membrane, produce recombinant proteins and evaluate them as antigens against A. sculptum infestations. Three gut proteins - AsMucin, AsAPP, and AsLAMP - and a chimeric protein (rAsChimera) based on 22 peptides containing putative B cell epitopes from seven different gut proteins were evaluated as anti-A. sculptum antigens. Mice immunizations revealed that all recombinant targets elicited humoral response with significantly increased IgG levels compared to controls. For rAsChimera, IgG levels remained significantly higher than controls up to 75 days after the end of the immunization. Challenge trials revealed that vaccination with the chimeric protein was the most effective against A. sculptum, inducing 100 % nymph mortality and reaching 80.8 % efficacy against females. The other three proteins did not induce relevant protection, as AsAPP had only 26.6 % efficacy, whereas AsMucin and AsLAMP induced no protection. These data indicate that targeting gut protein immunogenic regions may be an effective strategy for a vaccine formulation againstA. sculptum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel C A Costa
- Department of Parasitology, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Izabela C T Ribeiro
- Department of Parasitology, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Rodolfo C Giunchetti
- Laboratory of Cell-Cell Interactions, Department of Morphology, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte,Brazil
| | - Nelder F Gontijo
- Department of Parasitology, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Mauricio R V Sant'Anna
- Department of Parasitology, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Marcos H Pereira
- Department of Parasitology, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Grasielle C D Pessoa
- Department of Parasitology, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Leonardo B Koerich
- Department of Parasitology, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Fabiano Oliveira
- Vector Molecular Biology Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, United States
| | - Jesus G Valenzuela
- Vector Molecular Biology Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, United States
| | - Ricardo T Fujiwara
- Department of Parasitology, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Daniella C Bartholomeu
- Department of Parasitology, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Ricardo N Araujo
- Department of Parasitology, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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de la Fuente J, Ghosh S. Evolution of tick vaccinology. Parasitology 2024:1-8. [PMID: 38586999 DOI: 10.1017/s003118202400043x] [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: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Ticks represent a major concern for society worldwide. Ticks are also difficult to control, and vaccines represent the most efficacious, safe, economically feasible and environmentally sustainable intervention. The evolution of tick vaccinology has been driven by multiple challenges such as (1) Ticks are difficult to control, (2) Vaccines control tick infestations by reducing ectoparasite fitness and reproduction, (3) Vaccine efficacy against multiple tick species, (4) Impact of tick strain genetic diversity on vaccine efficacy, (5) Antigen combination to improve vaccine efficacy, (6) Vaccine formulations and delivery platforms and (7) Combination of vaccines with transgenesis and paratransgenesis. Tick vaccine antigens evolved from organ protein extracts to recombinant proteins to chimera designed by vaccinomics and quantum vaccinomics. Future directions will advance in these areas together with other novel technologies such as multiomics, AI and Big Data, mRNA vaccines, microbiota-driven probiotics and vaccines, and combination of vaccines with other interventions in collaboration with regions with high incidence of tick infestations and tick-borne diseases for a personalized medicine approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- José de la Fuente
- SaBio. Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC-CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo 12, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA
| | - Srikant Ghosh
- Entomology Laboratory, Parasitology Division, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar 243122, Bareilly, UP, India
- Eastern Regional Station- Indian Veterinary Research Institute, 37 Belgachia Road, Kolkata-700037, West Bengal, India
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da Silva Vaz Junior I, Lu S, Pinto AFM, Diedrich JK, Yates JR, Mulenga A, Termignoni C, Ribeiro JM, Tirloni L. Changes in saliva protein profile throughout Rhipicephalus microplus blood feeding. Parasit Vectors 2024; 17:36. [PMID: 38281054 PMCID: PMC10821567 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-024-06136-5] [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: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 01/29/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND When feeding on a vertebrate host, ticks secrete saliva, which is a complex mixture of proteins, lipids, and other molecules. Tick saliva assists the vector in modulating host hemostasis, immunity, and tissue repair mechanisms. While helping the vector to feed, its saliva modifies the site where pathogens are inoculated and often facilitates the infection process. The objective of this study is to uncover the variation in protein composition of Rhipicephalus microplus saliva during blood feeding. METHODS Ticks were fed on calves, and adult females were collected, weighed, and divided in nine weight groups, representing the slow and rapid feeding phases of blood feeding. Tick saliva was collected, and mass spectrometry analyses were used to identify differentially secreted proteins. Bioinformatic tools were employed to predict the structural and functional features of the salivary proteins. Reciprocal best hit analyses were used to identify conserved families of salivary proteins secreted by other tick species. RESULTS Changes in the protein secretion profiles of R. microplus adult female saliva during the blood feeding were observed, characterizing the phenomenon known as "sialome switching." This observation validates the idea that the switch in protein expression may serve as a mechanism for evading host responses against tick feeding. Cattle tick saliva is predominantly rich in heme-binding proteins, secreted conserved proteins, lipocalins, and protease inhibitors, many of which are conserved and present in the saliva of other tick species. Additionally, another remarkable observation was the identification of host-derived proteins as a component of tick saliva. CONCLUSIONS Overall, this study brings new insights to understanding the dynamics of the proteomic profile of tick saliva, which is an important component of tick feeding biology. The results presented here, along with the disclosed sequences, contribute to our understanding of tick feeding biology and might aid in the identification of new targets for the development of novel anti-tick methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Itabajara da Silva Vaz Junior
- Centro de Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
- Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Stephen Lu
- Vector Biology Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Antônio F M Pinto
- Clayton Foundation Peptide Biology Lab, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Jolene K Diedrich
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Mass Spectrometry Core, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - John R Yates
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Albert Mulenga
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Carlos Termignoni
- Centro de Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - José Marcos Ribeiro
- Vector Biology Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Lucas Tirloni
- Tick-Pathogen Transmission Unit, Laboratory of Bacteriology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Hamilton, MT, USA.
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Silva FAA, Costa GCA, Parizi LF, Silva Vaz Junior ID, Tanaka AS. Biochemical characterization of a novel sphingomyelinase-like protein from the Rhipicephalus microplus tick. Exp Parasitol 2023; 254:108616. [PMID: 37696328 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2023.108616] [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: 07/01/2023] [Revised: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023]
Abstract
Sphingomyelinase D is a toxin present in venomous spiders and bacteria and is associated with infection symptoms in patients affected by spider bites. It was observed that in Ixodes scapularis ticks, sphingomyelinase-like protein secreted in saliva can modulate the host immune response, affecting the transmission of flavivirus to the host via exosomes. In this work, a sphingomyelinase D-like protein (RmSMase) from R. microplus, a tick responsible for economic losses and a vector of pathogens for cattle, was investigated. The amino acid sequence revealed the lack of important residues for enzymatic activity, but the recombinant protein showed sphingomyelinase D activity. RmSMase shows Ca2+ and Mg2+ dependence in acidic pH, differing from IsSMase, which has Mg2+ dependence in neutral pH. Due to the difference between RmSMase and other SMases described, the data suggest that RmSMase belongs to SMase D class IIc. RmSMase mRNA transcription levels are upregulated during tick feeding, and the recombinant protein was recognized by host antibodies elicited after heavy tick infestation, indicating that RmSMase is present in tick saliva and may play a role in the tick feeding process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando A A Silva
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade de Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Gabriel C A Costa
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade de Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Luís F Parizi
- Centro de Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), RS, Brazil
| | - Itabajara da Silva Vaz Junior
- Centro de Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), RS, Brazil; Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), RS, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular (INCT-EM), RJ, Brazil
| | - Aparecida S Tanaka
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade de Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular (INCT-EM), RJ, Brazil.
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de la Fuente J, Mazuecos L, Contreras M. Innovative approaches for the control of ticks and tick-borne diseases. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2023; 14:102227. [PMID: 37419001 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2023.102227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/09/2023]
Abstract
Ticks and tick-borne diseases constitute a major threat for human and animal health worldwide. Vaccines for the control of tick infestations and transmitted pathogens still represents a challenge for science and health. Vaccines have evolved with antigens derived from inactivated pathogens to recombinant proteins and vaccinomics approaches. Recently, vaccines for the control of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have shown the efficacy of new antigen delivery platforms. However, until now only two vaccines based on recombinant Bm86/Bm95 antigens have been registered and commercialized for the control of cattle-tick infestations. Nevertheless, recently new technologies and approaches are under consideration for vaccine development for the control of ticks and tick-borne pathogens. Genetic manipulation of tick commensal bacteria converted enemies into friends. Frankenbacteriosis was used to control tick pathogen infection. Based on these results, the way forward is to develop new paratransgenic interventions and vaccine delivery platforms for the control of tick-borne diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- 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.
| | - Lorena Mazuecos
- SaBio, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC-CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ronda de Toledo s/n, 13005, Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Marinela Contreras
- SaBio, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC-CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ronda de Toledo s/n, 13005, Ciudad Real, Spain
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