Rhipicephalus microplus and Ixodes ovatus cystatins in tick blood digestion and evasion of host immune response.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Cystatins are a group of cysteine protease inhibitors responsible for physiological proteolysis regulation and present in a wide range of organisms. Studies about this class of inhibitors in parasites have contributed to clarify their roles in important physiological processes, like blood digestion and modulation of host immune response during blood feeding. Thus, cystatins are a subject of research on the development of new parasite control methods. Additionally, the characterization of proteins shared by different parasite species represents a valuable strategy to find potential targets in multi-species control methods. However, cystatin functions in ticks remain undetermined, especially in Rhipicephalus microplus and Ixodes ovatus, two species that affect livestock an

SUBMITTER: Parizi LF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4340882 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature