Ixodes ricinus ticks have a functional association with Midichloria mitochondrii.

ABSTRACT: In addition to being vectors of pathogenic bacteria, ticks also harbor intracellular bacteria that associate with ticks over generations, aka symbionts. The biological significance of such bacterial symbiosis has been described in several tick species but its function in Ixodes ricinus is not understood. We have previously shown that I. ricinus ticks are primarily inhabited by a single species of symbiont, Midichloria mitochondrii, an intracellular bacterium that resides and reproduces mainly in the mitochondria of ovaries of fully engorged I. ricinus females. To study the functional integration of M. mitochondrii into the biology of I. ricinus, an M. mitochondrii-depleted model of I. ricinus ticks was sought. Various techniques have

SUBMITTER: Guizzo MG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9868949 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature