Identification of Tick Ixodes ricinus Midgut Genes Differentially Expressed During the Transmission of Borrelia afzelii Spirochetes Using a Transcriptomic Approach.

ABSTRACT: Lyme borreliosis is an emerging tick-borne disease caused by spirochetes Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. In Europe, Lyme borreliosis is predominantly caused by Borrelia afzelii and transmitted by Ixodes ricinus. Although Borrelia behavior throughout tick development is quite well documented, specific molecular interactions between Borrelia and the tick have not been satisfactorily examined. Here, we present the first transcriptomic study focused on the expression of tick midgut genes regulated by Borrelia. By using massive analysis of cDNA ends (MACE), we searched for tick transcripts expressed differentially in the midgut of unfed, 24h-fed, and fully fed I. ricinus nymphs infected with B. afzelii. In total, we identified 553 upregul

SUBMITTER: Mahmood S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7890033 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature