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Kumar D, Budachetri K, Rikihisa Y, Karim S. Analysis of Amblyomma americanum microRNAs in response to Ehrlichia chaffeensis infection and their potential role in vectorial capacity. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.03.592465. [PMID: 38765993 PMCID: PMC11100627 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.03.592465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Background MicroRNAs (miRNAs) represent a subset of small noncoding RNAs and carry tremendous potential for regulating gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. They play pivotal roles in distinct cellular mechanisms including inhibition of bacterial, parasitic, and viral infections via immune response pathways. Intriguingly, pathogens have developed strategies to manipulate the host's miRNA profile, fostering environments conducive to successful infection. Therefore, changes in an arthropod host's miRNA profile in response to pathogen invasion could be critical in understanding host-pathogen dynamics. Additionally, this area of study could provide insights into discovering new targets for disease control and prevention. The main objective of the present study is to investigate the functional role of differentially expressed miRNAs upon Ehrlichia chaffeensis, a tick-borne pathogen, infection in tick vector, Amblyomma americanum. Methods Small RNA libraries from uninfected and E. chaffeensis-infected Am. americanum midgut and salivary gland tissues were prepared using the Illumina Truseq kit. Small RNA sequencing data was analyzed using miRDeep2 and sRNAtoolbox to identify novel and known miRNAs. The differentially expressed miRNAs were validated using a quantitative PCR assay. Furthermore, a miRNA inhibitor approach was used to determine the functional role of selected miRNA candidates. Results The sequencing of small RNA libraries generated >147 million raw reads in all four libraries and identified a total of >250 miRNAs across the four libraries. We identified 23 and 14 differentially expressed miRNAs in salivary glands, and midgut tissues infected with E. chaffeensis, respectively. Three differentially expressed miRNAs (miR-87, miR-750, and miR-275) were further characterized to determine their roles in pathogen infection. Inhibition of target miRNAs significantly decreased the E. chaffeensis load in tick tissues, which warrants more in-depth mechanistic studies. Conclusions The current study identified known and novel miRNAs and suggests that interfering with these miRNAs may impact the vectorial capacity of ticks to harbor Ehrlichia. This study identified several new miRNAs for future analysis of their functions in tick biology and tick-pathogen interaction studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepak Kumar
- School of Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS 39406, USA
| | - Khemraj Budachetri
- Laboratory of Molecular, Cellular, and Environmental Rickettsiology, Department of Veterinary Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Infectious Diseases Institute, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Yasuko Rikihisa
- Laboratory of Molecular, Cellular, and Environmental Rickettsiology, Department of Veterinary Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Infectious Diseases Institute, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Shahid Karim
- School of Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS 39406, USA
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Rolandelli A, Laukaitis-Yousey HJ, Bogale HN, Singh N, Samaddar S, O'Neal AJ, Ferraz CR, Butnaru M, Mameli E, Xia B, Mendes MT, Butler LR, Marnin L, Cabrera Paz FE, Valencia LM, Rana VS, Skerry C, Pal U, Mohr SE, Perrimon N, Serre D, Pedra JHF. Tick hemocytes have a pleiotropic role in microbial infection and arthropod fitness. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2117. [PMID: 38459063 PMCID: PMC10923820 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46494-3] [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: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Uncovering the complexity of systems in non-model organisms is critical for understanding arthropod immunology. Prior efforts have mostly focused on Dipteran insects, which only account for a subset of existing arthropod species in nature. Here we use and develop advanced techniques to describe immune cells (hemocytes) from the clinically relevant tick Ixodes scapularis at a single-cell resolution. We observe molecular alterations in hemocytes upon feeding and infection with either the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi or the rickettsial agent Anaplasma phagocytophilum. We reveal hemocyte clusters exhibiting defined signatures related to immunity, metabolism, and proliferation. Depletion of phagocytic hemocytes affects hemocytin and astakine levels, two I. scapularis hemocyte markers, impacting blood-feeding, molting behavior, and bacterial acquisition. Mechanistically, astakine alters hemocyte proliferation, whereas hemocytin affects the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling pathway in I. scapularis. Altogether, we discover a role for tick hemocytes in immunophysiology and provide a valuable resource for comparative biology in arthropods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agustin Rolandelli
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Hanna J Laukaitis-Yousey
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Haikel N Bogale
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Rancho BioSciences, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Nisha Singh
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Energy Technology, Pandit Deendayal Energy University; Knowledge Corridor, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India
| | - Sourabh Samaddar
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Anya J O'Neal
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Immunology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Camila R Ferraz
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Matthew Butnaru
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
| | - Enzo Mameli
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Microbiology, National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Baolong Xia
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - M Tays Mendes
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - L Rainer Butler
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Liron Marnin
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Francy E Cabrera Paz
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Luisa M Valencia
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Vipin S Rana
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Ciaran Skerry
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Utpal Pal
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Stephanie E Mohr
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Norbert Perrimon
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
| | - David Serre
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Joao H F Pedra
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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Sit B, Lamason RL. Pathogenic Rickettsia spp. as emerging models for bacterial biology. J Bacteriol 2024; 206:e0040423. [PMID: 38315013 PMCID: PMC10883807 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00404-23] [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] [Indexed: 02/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Our understanding of free-living bacterial models like Escherichia coli far outpaces that of obligate intracellular bacteria, which cannot be cultured axenically. All obligate intracellular bacteria are host-associated, and many cause serious human diseases. Their constant exposure to the distinct biochemical niche of the host has driven the evolution of numerous specialized bacteriological and genetic adaptations, as well as innovative molecular mechanisms of infection. Here, we review the history and use of pathogenic Rickettsia species, which cause an array of vector-borne vascular illnesses, as model systems to probe microbial biology. Although many challenges remain in our studies of these organisms, the rich pathogenic and biological diversity of Rickettsia spp. constitutes a unique backdrop to investigate how microbes survive and thrive in host and vector cells. We take a bacterial-focused perspective and highlight emerging insights that relate to new host-pathogen interactions, bacterial physiology, and evolution. The transformation of Rickettsia spp. from pathogens to models demonstrates how recalcitrant microbes may be leveraged in the lab to tap unmined bacterial diversity for new discoveries. Rickettsia spp. hold great promise as model systems not only to understand other obligate intracellular pathogens but also to discover new biology across and beyond bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon Sit
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Rebecca L. Lamason
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
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