Project description:Ixodes pacificus, the vector of Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) on the west coast, feeds on a variety of hosts including rodents, birds, and lizards. While rodents are reservoirs for Bb and can infect juvenile ticks, lizards are Bb-refractory. Despite the range of bloodmeals for I. pacificus, it is undetermined how larval host bloodmeal identity may affect future nymphal vector competence. Here, we conducted a transcriptome analysis on I. pacificus to determine whether and through what mechanisms host bloodmeal history affects vector competency of I. pacificus for the Lyme disease pathogen.
Project description:Based on its phylogenetic relationship to monitor lizards (Varanidae), Gila monsters (Heloderma spp.), and the earless monitor Lanthanotus borneesis, the Chinese crocodile lizard, Shinisaurus crocodilurus, has been assigned to the Toxicofera clade, which comprises venomous reptiles. However, no data about composition and biological activities of its oral secretion have been reported. In the present study, a proteomic analysis of the mandibular gland of S. crocodilurus and, for comparison, of the herbivorous Solomon Island skink Corucia zebrata, was performed. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of the teeth from S. crocodilurus revealed a sharp ridge on the anterior surface, but no grooves, whereas those of C. zebrata possess a flattened crown with a pointed cusp. Proteomic analysis of their gland extracts provided no evidence of venom-derived peptides or proteins, strongly supporting the non-venomous character of these lizards.
Project description:Proteins are ubiquitous macromolecules displaying a vast repertoire of chemical and enzymatic functions making them suitable candidates for chemosignals used in intraspecific communication. Proteins are present in skin gland secretions of vertebrates but their identity, and especially, their functions, remain largely unknown. Many species of lizards possess femoral glands, i.e. epidermal organs primarily involved in the production and secretion of chemosignals playing a pivotal role in mate choice and intrasexual communication. The lipophilic fraction of femoral glands has been well studied in lizards. In contrast, proteins have been the focus of only a handful of investigations. Here, we study the identity, inter-individual expression patterns and functionality of proteins present in femoral glands of sand lizards (Lacerta agilis) by applying mass-spectrometry proteomics. Our results showed that the total number of proteins varied substantially among individuals. None of the identified femoral gland proteins could be directly linked to chemical communication in lizards, although this result hinges on protein annotation in databases in which squamate semiochemicals are poorly represented. In contrast to our expectations, proteins consistently expressed across individuals were related to immune system, antioxidant activity and lipid metabolism as the main functions, adding support to the hypothesis that proteins in reptilian epidermal glands have other functions besides chemical communication. Interestingly, we found that major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC) expression is enriched in femoral gland secretions. Previously, MHC was hypothesized to have been coopted to serve a semiochemical function in sand lizards, specifically in partner recognition. We speculate with the possibility that MHC proteins could be linked to semiochemical function in sand lizards.
Project description:Lizards cannot naturally regenerate limbs but are the closest known relatives of mammals capable of epimorphic tail regrowth. However, the mechanisms regulating lizard blastema derivation and chondrogenesis remain unclear. We utilized single-cell RNA sequencing analyses of regenerating lizard tails throughout the course of regeneration to assess diversity and heterogeneity in regeneating tail cell populations.