Project description:Ticks (Acari: Ixodida) feed exclusively on blood which lacks essential nutrients such as vitamins and cofactors. These deficiencies are presumably complemented through specific symbiotic microorganisms such as Coxiella – Like Endosymbionts (CLEs) of Rhipicephalus ticks. CLE are localized in specialized host tissue cells within the Malpighian tubules (Mt) and the ovaries (Ov) from which they are maternally transmitted to developing oocytes. These two organs differ in function and cell types, and possibly also in activities performed by CLE occupants. To get insights into CLE functions within these two organs, we used comparative proteomics of CLEs in Mt and Ov of unfed R. sanguineus ticks
