Cholinergic axons regulate type I acini in salivary glands of Ixodes ricinus and Ixodes scapularis ticks.

ABSTRACT: Regulatory factors controlling tick salivary glands (SGs) are direct upstream neural signaling pathways arising from the tick's central nervous system. Here we investigated the cholinergic signaling pathway in the SG of two hard tick species. We reconstructed the organization of the cholinergic gene locus, and then used in situ hybridization to localize mRNA encoding choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT) in specific neural cells in the Ixodes synganglion. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that cholinergic axonal projections exclusively reached type I acini in the SG of both Ixodes species. In type I acini, the rich network of cholinergic axons terminate within the basolateral infoldings of the lamellate cells. We also characterized two types (

SUBMITTER: Mateos-Hernandez L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7524744 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature