Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Jun;22(3):245-57.
doi: 10.1111/imb.12017. Epub 2013 Feb 25.

RNA interference-mediated depletion of N-ethylmaleimide sensitive fusion protein and synaptosomal associated protein of 25 kDa results in the inhibition of blood feeding of the Gulf Coast tick, Amblyomma maculatum

R Browning  1 , S Karim
Affiliations

RNA interference-mediated depletion of N-ethylmaleimide sensitive fusion protein and synaptosomal associated protein of 25 kDa results in the inhibition of blood feeding of the Gulf Coast tick, Amblyomma maculatum

R Browning et al. Insect Mol Biol. 2013 Jun.

Abstract

The signalling pathways in tick salivary glands that control 'sialo-secretome' secretion at the tick-host interface remain elusive; however, this complex process is essential for successful feeding and manipulation of the host haemostatic response. Exocytosis of the sialo-secretome in the salivary glands requires a core of soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion (NSF) attachment proteins (SNAPs) and receptor proteins (SNAREs). SNAREs have been identified as the key components in regulating the sialo-secretome in the salivary gland cells. In this study, we utilized RNA interference to investigate the functional role of two Amblyomma maculatum SNARE complex proteins, AmNSF and AmSNAP-25, in the tick salivary glands during extended blood feeding on the vertebrate host. Knock-down of AmNSF and AmSNAP-25 resulted in death, impaired feeding on the host, lack of engorgement and inhibited oviposition in ticks. Depletion also led to important morphological changes in the collapse of the Golgi apparatus in the salivary gland cells. Our results imply a functional significance of AmNSF and AMSNAP-25 in prolonged tick feeding, and survival on the host. Further characterization of the factors that regulate exocytosis may lead to novel approaches to prevent tick-borne diseases.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 5
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Bethani I, Werner A, Kadian C, Geumann U, Jahn R, Rizzoli SO. Endosomal fusion upon SNARE knockdown is maintained by residual SNARE activity and enhanced docking. Traffic. 2009;10:1543–59. - PubMed
    1. Binnington KC. Sequential changes in salivary gland structure during attachment and feeding of the cattle tick, Boophilus microplus. Int J Parasitol. 1978;8:97–115. - PubMed
    1. Boulianne GL, Trimble WS. Identification of a second homolog of N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion protein that is expressed in the nervous system and secretory tissues of Drosophila. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1995;92:7095–9. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bowman AS, Sauer JR. Tick salivary glands: function, physiology and future. Parasitology. 2004;129(Suppl):S67–81. - PubMed
    1. Bradford MM. Rapid and sensitive method for the quantitation of microgram quantities of protein utilizing the principle of protein-dye binding. Anal Biochem. 1976;72:248–254. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances