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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
agricultural and biological sciences
The sialotranscriptome of Antricola delacruzi female ticks is compatible with non-hematophagous behavior and an alternative source of food
Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Volume 42, No. 5, Year 2012
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Description
The hosts for Antricola delacruzi ticks are insectivorous, cave-dwelling bats on which only larvae are found. The mouthparts of nymphal and adult A. delacruzi are compatible with scavenging feeding because the hypostome is small and toothless. How a single blood meal of a larva provides energy for several molts as well as for oviposition by females is not known. Adults of A. delacruzi possibly feed upon an unknown food source in bat guano, a substrate on which nymphal and adult stages are always found. Guano produced by insectivorous bats contains twice the amount of protein and 60 times the amount of iron as beef. In addition, bacteria and chitin-rich fungi proliferate on guano. Comparative data on the transcriptome of the salivary glands of A. delacruzi is nonexistent and would help to understand the physiological adaptations of salivary glands that accompany different sources of food as well as the steps taken by the Acari toward haematophagy, believed to have evolved from scavenging dead animals. Annotation of the transcriptome of salivary glands from female instars of A. delacruzi collected on guano categorized 5.7% of the clusters of expressed genes as putative secreted proteins. They included abundantly expressed TIL-domain-containing proteins (possible anti-microbials), an abundantly expressed protein similar to a serum amyloid found in the sialotranscriptomes of Ornithodoros spp., a savignygrin, a family of mucin/peritrophin/cuticle-like proteins, anti-microbials and an HIV envelope-like glycoprotein also found in soft ticks. When comparing the transcriptome of A. delacruzi with those of blood-feeding female soft and hard ticks some notable differences were observed; they consisted of the following transcripts over- or under-represented or absent in the sialotranscriptome of A. delacruzi that may reflect its source of food: ferritin, mucins with chitin-binding domains and TIL-domain-containing proteins versus lipocalins, basic tail proteins, metalloproteases, glycine-rich proteins and Kunitz protease inhibitors, respectively. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.
Authors & Co-Authors
Ribeiro, J. M.C.
United States, Bethesda
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Niaid
Labruna, Marcelo Bahia
Brazil, Sao Paulo
Universidade de São Paulo
Mans, Ben J.
South Africa, Onderstepoort
Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute
South Africa, Pretoria
University of Pretoria
Maruyama, Sandra R.
Brazil, Sao Paulo
Universidade de São Paulo
Francischetti, Ivo M.B.
United States, Bethesda
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Niaid
Barizon, Gustavo Canavaci
Brazil, Sao Paulo
Universidade de São Paulo
de Miranda Santos, Isabel Kinney Ferreira
Brazil, Sao Paulo
Universidade de São Paulo
Statistics
Citations: 56
Authors: 7
Affiliations: 4
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1016/j.ibmb.2012.01.003
ISSN:
09651748
Research Areas
Food Security
Infectious Diseases
Participants Gender
Female