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

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60077344%3A_____%2F25%3A00639694" target="_blank" >RIV/60077344:_____/25:00639694 - isvavai.cz</a>

Alternative codes found

RIV/61388963:_____/25:00639694

Result on the web

<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mcpro.2025.101054" target="_blank" >https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mcpro.2025.101054</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mcpro.2025.101054" target="_blank" >10.1016/j.mcpro.2025.101054</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

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

Original language description

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 on protein digestion during the slow feeding phase. However, the processing of the blood meal after the mating-induced rapid engorgement (big sip) remains unclear, although the rapid turnover of proteins from host blood proteins into yolk proteins in fully fed females is a crucial step for tick reproduction. In this study, we performed a label-free quantitative proteomic analysis of MG tissue extracts and MG contents of the hard tick Ixodes ricinus to characterize proteases and protease inhibitors expressed during selected timepoints of female feeding and off-host digestion. In addition, we analyzed the distribution of digestive enzymes by activity profiling in MG extracts and contents with specific diagnostic substrates. Our results show that the multienzyme network, mainly based on aspartic acid and cysteine cathepsins and complemented by specific types of serine proteases and metalloproteases, is involved in the intracellular and probably also in the luminal digestion of blood meal proteins in fully engorged female ticks. We also detected different types of protease inhibitors and proposed their regulatory role in controlling both endogenous (tick-derived) and host protease activities in the MG tissue and luminal contents storing ingested blood. These results provide comprehensive insights into the physiology of the tick MG and offer new opportunities for the development of future control strategies against ticks and tick-borne diseases.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

10606 - Microbiology

Project

Result was created during the realization of more than one project. More information in the Projects tab.

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Molecular & Cellular Proteomics

ISSN

1535-9476

e-ISSN

1535-9484

Volume of the periodical

24

Issue of the periodical within the volume

9

Country of publishing house

NL - THE KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS

Number of pages

19

Pages from-to

101054

UT code for WoS article

001582814400001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-105016342133