Dataset Information

Proteomic insight into the ontogeny of blood-meal digestion in the tick Ixodes ricinus

ABSTRACT: The long blood feeding duration of hard ticks relies on the continuous modulation of saliva composition to manipulate host haemostatic and immune systems. While the exogenous muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) agonist, pilocarpine, is a potent inducer of tick salivation, the underlying control mechanisms of endogenous stimulation remain unclear. Here, we characterised two pharmacologically distinct types of mAChRs (A and B) in the genome of the Ixodes ricinus tick. A combination of molecular dynamics and directed mutagenesis revealed the atypical muscarinic profile of the type-B receptor. Immunolabelling followed by in vivo pharmacology and proteomic analyses suggested that the composition of secreted saliva is a result of a complex interplay between different central neurons and specific regions of the salivary gland (SG), mediated by distinct axonal mAChR types. This system likely functions upstream of a neuropeptide signalling cascade, ultimately controlling different salivation subunits in SG. Our study describes a unique model of regulation of tick SG activity in a medically relevant tick species. This knowledge holds broader implications for understanding tick-host interactions.

INSTRUMENT(S):

ORGANISM(S): Ixodes Ricinus

TISSUE(S): Midgut

SUBMITTER: Filip Dyčka

LAB HEAD: Petr Kopáček

PROVIDER: PXD057920 | Pride | 2025-10-06

REPOSITORIES: Pride

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Dataset's files

Source:

			Action	DRS
	220225_ticks_adult.zip	Other
	220225_ticks_adult_250327_13h00m00s.apl	Other
	220225_ticks_adult_250327_13h00m00s_msms_spectra.pdf	Pdf
	220225_ticks_adult_250327_13h00m00s_txt.zip	Other
	220225_ticks_adult_PU.zip	Other

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Publications

Proteomic Insight Into the Ontogeny of Blood-Meal Digestion in the Tick Ixodes ricinus.

Kozelková Tereza T Horn Martin M Sojka Daniel D Lu Stephen S Pytelková Jana J Urbanová Veronika V Dyčka Filip F Mareš Michael M Kopáček Petr P

Molecular & cellular proteomics : MCP 20250819 9

Ticks are important ectoparasites and vectors of a variety of pathogens in both animals and humans, and their increasing global distribution poses a growing health risk. Unlike other blood-feeding vectors, ticks feed for an extended period at each life stage and rely exclusively on blood for development and reproduction. Blood digestion in ticks is mediated by a complex multienzyme network within the endolysosomal system of the midgut (MG) epithelial cells. Previous studies have focused largely ...[more]

PMID: 40840760

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Project description:Ticks are obligate hematophagous arthropods that transmit a wide range of pathogens to humans as well as wild and domestic animals. They also harbor a non-pathogenic microbiota, although our previous study has shown that the diverse bacterial microbiome in the midgut of Ixodes ricinus is quantitatively poor and lacks a core microbe. In artificial infections by capillary feeding of ticks with two model bacteria (Gram-positive Micrococcus luteus and Gram-negative Pantoea sp.), rapid clearance of these microbes from the midgut was observed, indicating the presence of active immune mechanisms in this organ. In the current study, RNA-seq analysis was performed on the midgut of I. ricinus females inoculated with either M. luteus or Pantoea sp. or with sterile water as a control. While no immune-related transcripts were upregulated by microbial inoculation compared to the sterile control, capillary feeding itself triggered dramatic transcriptional changes in the tick midgut. Manual curation of the transcriptome from the midgut of unfed I. ricinus females, complemented by proteomic analysis, revealed the presence of several constitutively expressed putative antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) that are independent of microbial stimulation and are referred to here as ‘guard’ AMPs. These included two types of midgut-specific defensins, two different domesticated amidase effector 2 (Dae2), microplusin/ricinusin-related molecules, two lysozymes and two gamma interferon-inducible lysosomal thiol reductases (GILTs). The in vitro antimicrobial activity assays of two synthetic mature defensins, defensin 1 and defensin 8, confirmed their specificity against Gram-positive bacteria showing exceptional potency to inhibit the growth of M. luteus at nanomolar concentrations. The antimicrobial activity of midgut defensins is likely part of a multicomponent system responsible for the rapid clearance of bacteria in the tick midgut. Further studies are needed to evaluate the role of other identified ‘guard‘ AMPs in controlling microorganisms entering the tick midgut.