Functional genomics of tick thioester-containing proteins reveal the ancient origin of the complement system
Language English Country Switzerland Media print-electronic
Document type Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Grant support
Howard Hughes Medical Institute - United States
PubMed
21811049
DOI
10.1159/000328851
PII: 000328851
Knihovny.cz E-resources
- MeSH
- alpha-Macroglobulins genetics MeSH
- Chryseobacterium immunology pathogenicity MeSH
- Phagocytosis genetics MeSH
- Genome immunology MeSH
- Genomics MeSH
- Hemocytes immunology metabolism microbiology pathology MeSH
- Insect Proteins genetics metabolism MeSH
- Flavobacteriaceae Infections genetics immunology MeSH
- Complement C3 genetics metabolism MeSH
- Cells, Cultured MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- RNA, Small Interfering genetics MeSH
- Evolution, Molecular MeSH
- Sequence Analysis, DNA MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
- Names of Substances
- alpha-Macroglobulins MeSH
- Insect Proteins MeSH
- Complement C3 MeSH
- RNA, Small Interfering MeSH
Ticks are important ectoparasites and vectors of multiple human and animal diseases. The obligatory hemophagy of ticks provides a formidable route for parasite transmission from one host to another. Parasite survival inside the tick relies on the ability of a pathogen to escape or inhibit tick immune defenses, but the molecular interactions between the tick and its pathogens remain poorly understood. Here we report that tick genomes are unique in that they contain all known classes of the α(2)-macroglobulin family (α(2)M-F) proteins: α(2)-macroglobulin pan-protease inhibitors, C3 complement components, and insect thioester-containing and macroglobulin-related proteins. By using RNA interference-mediated gene silencing in the hard tick Ixodes ricinus we demonstrated the central role of a C3-like molecule in the phagocytosis of bacteria and revealed nonredundant functions for α(2)M-F proteins. Assessment of α(2)M-F functions in a single organism should significantly contribute to the general knowledge on the evolution and function of the complement system. Importantly, understanding the tick immune mechanisms should provide new concepts for efficient transmission blocking of tick-borne diseases.
References provided by Crossref.org
Tick Immune System: What Is Known, the Interconnections, the Gaps, and the Challenges
Deep Sequencing Analysis of the Ixodes ricinus Haemocytome
Interaction of the tick immune system with transmitted pathogens
