Project description:Transcriptional profiling of midgut tissues isolated from Rhipicephalus microplus and Rhipicephalus decoloratus females at day 20 post infestation. This enabled the identification of transcripts that are species-specific or shared between the two tick species tested.
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
Project description:Transcriptional profiling of midgut tissues isolated from Rhipicephalus microplus and Rhipicephalus decoloratus females at day 20 post infestation. This enabled the identification of transcripts that are species-specific or shared between the two tick species tested. A direct comparison (Balanced block) was performed: Midgut tissues collected on day 20 (post infestation) from R. microplus was compared to that of R. decoloratus. Biological replicates: 3 ; Technical replicates: 1.
Project description:A R. microplus microarray was used to study differential gene expression in acaricide exposed larvae from an amitraz-resistant strain. The acaricide treatments were: organophosphate (OP), pyrethroid, ivermectin, and amitraz. The microarrays contained over 13,000 probes corresponding to each member of R. microplus gene index ESTs previously described (http://compbio.dfci.harvard.edu/tgi/cgi-bin/tgi/gimain.pl?gudb=b_microplus). Serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) data from the OP treated R. microplus was used to verify the OP microarray data. The expression profiles of selected transcripts were verified by real time PCR. Among the significantly differentially expressed genes, were a tick legumain, involved in blood digestion, gluthathione S-transferase (GST), a detoxification enzyme involved in pesticide resistance, acyltransferase, several putative salivary sulfotransferases, and a glutamate receptor. **Note: contact person: Felix D. Guerrero email: felix.guerrero@ars.usda.gov Keywords: Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus, acaricide resistance genes, organophosphates OP, microarrays, detoxification enzymes.