Review
Immunology
Shuang Wu, Qing Nie, Shuang Tan, Guoyan Liao, Yinyi Lv, Caohua Lv, Guang Chen, Shuangchun Liu
Summary: This study investigates the correlation between malaria and immune cells, focusing on the role of TGF-β in the immune response. The results show that TGF-β promotes inflammation at low concentrations, but inhibits inflammation at high concentrations, making it an important regulator of inflammation. Additionally, the quantity of TGF-β produced by the host fluctuates during Plasmodium infection and is correlated with cytokine levels associated with the immune response to malaria.
INTERNATIONAL IMMUNOPHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Immunology
Muhammad Nadeem Abbas, Adela Chlastakova, Mohamed Amine Jmel, Evangelia Iliaki-Giannakoudaki, Jindrich Chmelar, Michail Kotsyfakis
Summary: Tick saliva contains serpins that play a crucial role in tick-host interactions by inhibiting host hemostasis processes and modulating host immune responses. Research suggests that tick serpins have the potential to be candidates for drug and vaccine development.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Immunology
Stepan S. Denisov, Ingrid Dijkgraaf
Summary: Ticks secrete immunomodulatory proteins into their saliva to bypass or suppress the host's immune system, with a diverse arsenal of closely related proteins using gene duplication. Studying these proteins can help understand tick-host relationships and provide potential candidates for drug development.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Parasitology
Lei Liu, Rong Cheng, Si-qing Mao, De-yong Duan, Li-li Feng, Tian -yin Cheng
Summary: Tick saliva proteomes in partially- and fully-engorged Haemaphysalis flava ticks were analyzed by HPLC/MS-MS, and a total of 614 proteins were identified, including 94 host proteins and 520 tick-derived proteins. Among the tick-derived proteins, 226 high-confidence proteins were classified into 10 categories, and 65 uncharacterized proteins were further analyzed according to specific motifs and predicted functions.
VETERINARY PARASITOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mohamed Amine Jmel, Hajer Aounallah, Chaima Bensaoud, Imen Mekki, Jindrich Chmelar, Fernanda Faria, Youmna M'ghirbi, Michalis Kotsyfakis
Summary: Protease inhibitors are regulatory proteins found in all kingdoms that play crucial roles in controlling proteases, with potential applications in human disease treatment and agriculture. PIs from tick salivary glands have unique pharmacological properties and are promising candidates for drug development, progressing to preclinical and clinical trials.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yamato Sajiki, Satoru Konnai, Yoshinori Ikenaka, Kevin Christian Montecillo Gulay, Atsushi Kobayashi, Luis Fernando Parizi, Benvindo Capela Joao, Kei Watari, Sotaro Fujisawa, Tomohiro Okagawa, Naoya Maekawa, Carlos Logullo, Itabajara da Silva Vaz, Shiro Murata, Kazuhiko Ohashi
Summary: The tick Rhipicephalus microplus, a harmful parasite of cattle, contains immunosuppressants that upregulate PD-1 in T cells and PD-L1 in certain immune cells. This upregulation is likely due to the presence of prostaglandin E-2 (PGE(2)) in Rm-saliva, which has the potential to induce the expression of immunoinhibitory molecules in host immune cells.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Hematology
Zheng Cai, Khalil Bdeir, Serge Yarovoi, Lubica Rauova, Gowthami M. Arepally, Sanjay Khandelwal, Jerome Rollin, Yves Gruel, Sergei Zaitsev, Mortimer Poncz, Mark I. Greene, Douglas B. Cines
Summary: This study found that the combination therapy of fondaparinux and humanized anti-PF4 antibody (hRTO) could help reduce blood clot formation and inhibit Fcγ receptor-mediated coagulation responses on platelets, neutrophils, and monocytes. This intervention method could improve efficacy, reduce medication dosage, shorten the duration of anticoagulant treatment, and prevent HIT.
JOURNAL OF THROMBOSIS AND HAEMOSTASIS
(2023)
Review
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Herbert Tilg, Timon E. Adolph, Frank Tacke
Summary: Inflammation plays a significant role in the progression of liver diseases such as hepatitis, NAFLD, and alcohol-related liver disease. Studies have shown that cytokines and cellular stress sensors contribute to disease processes in the liver. Unresolved inflammation and liver injury can lead to scarring, fibrosis, and cirrhosis, and may progress to liver cancer. Strategies to reduce inflammation in immune-mediated conditions have been widely used, but there is emerging evidence for immunomodulatory therapies in liver diseases.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Chih-Yu Wu, Ting-Ying Wu, Zhen-Yu Guan, Peng-Yuan Wang, Yen-Ching Yang, Chao-Wei Huang, Tzu-Hung Lin, Hsien-Yeh Chen
Summary: Current methods for modular assembly of biomaterials have limitations, but the vapor-phase deposition technique presented in this study allows for the fabrication of 3D polymeric materials with biomolecule functionalization, tunable mass transport, and mechanical properties control. The modular scaffolds fabricated demonstrated high cell viability, enhanced cell proliferation, osteogenesis, and neurogenesis, as well as the potential for mass production. Additionally, the scaffolds enabled independent activities of osteogenesis and angiogenesis in separate compartments within the same construct.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Adela Chlastakova, Barbora Kascakova, Jan Kotal, Helena Langhansova, Michail Kotsyfakis, Ivana Kuta Smatanova, Lucas Tirloni, Jindrich Chmelar
Summary: Serpins are serine protease inhibitors widely distributed in ticks, and Iripin-1 is a serpin found in I. ricinus tick saliva. Iripin-1 inhibits coagulation and immune response by suppressing the activity of proteases. In addition, it reduces immune cell migration and inflammatory response. The structure of Iripin-1 has been determined using X-ray crystallography.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lin Jin, Bao-Gui Jiang, Yizhu Yin, Jingya Guo, Jia-Fu Jiang, Xiaopeng Qi, Gary Crispell, Shahid Karim, Wu-Chun Cao, Ren Lai
Summary: Lyme spirochetes have evolved with ticks to optimize transmission to hosts. They use tick salivary molecules (TSMs) to counteract host defenses. The study shows that LT ss R signaling plays an important role in blocking the transmission and pathogenesis of tick-borne Lyme disease spirochetes. A 15-kDa TSM protein called IpSAP from Ixodes persulcatus functions as an immunosuppressant to facilitate the transmission and infection of Lyme disease spirochetes. IpSAP interacts with LT ss R to block its activation, suppressing immunity.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Toxicology
Luyao Wang, Fang Sun, Jing Hu, Weimin Zuo, Yi Zheng, Yingliang Wu, Hang Fai Kwok, Zhijian Cao
Summary: The saliva peptide HIDfsin2 promotes the replication of SFTSV by enhancing p38 MAPK activation in A549 cells. Blocking p38 MAPK activation inhibits SFTSV replication.
ARCHIVES OF TOXICOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Jaqueline Matias, Cheyne Kurokawa, Andaleeb Sajid, Sukanya Narasimhan, Gunjan Arora, Husrev Diktas, Geoffrey E. Lynn, Kathleen DePonte, Norbert Pardi, Jesus G. Valenzuela, Drew Weissman, Erol Fikrig
Summary: Guinea pigs exposed to Ixodes scapularis ticks develop acquired resistance to ticks, influenced by factors in tick saliva such as Salp14. Using Salp14 as a model antigen, mRNA lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) show potential as a platform for studying tick immunity.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Michael Pham, Jacob Underwood, Adela S. Oliva Chavez
Summary: Ticks are obligatory hematophagous parasites that transmit a wide range of pathogens, including those causing Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis. They secrete pharmacologically active molecules in their saliva to counteract host defense mechanisms and create a conducive environment for pathogen transmission. These bioactive molecules in tick saliva may be manipulated by tick-transmitted pathogens to enhance their survival and evasion of host defenses.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Mary B. Jacobs, Britton J. Grasperge, Lara A. Doyle-Meyers, Monica E. Embers
Summary: The uptake of the Lyme disease spirochete by its tick vector is dependent on chemical signals in the tick's saliva and the responsive phenotype of the Borrelia burgdorferi in the mammalian host. This study examined the migration of B. burgdorferi towards tick saliva and identified that host-adapted spirochetes have a greater preference for tick saliva compared to cultured spirochetes. These findings provide insights into the relationship between growth conditions and phenotype of B. burgdorferi in relation to vector acquisition.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
James J. Valdes, Alejandro Cabezas-Cruz, Radek Sima, Philip T. Butterill, Daniel Ruzek, Patricia A. Nuttall
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2016)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Janaki Krishnamoorthy Iyer, Cho Yeow Koh, Maria Kazimirova, Ladislav Roller, Chacko Jobichen, Kunchithapadam Swaminathan, Jun Mizuguchi, Sadaaki Iwanaga, Patricia A. Nuttall, Mark Y. Chan, R. Manjunatha Kini
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Pietro Roversi, Steven Johnson, Stephen G. Preston, Miles A. Nunn, Guido C. Paesen, Jonathan M. Austyn, Patricia A. Nuttall, Susan M. Lea
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2017)
Article
Immunology
Valeria Hajnicka, Marcela Kudelova, Iveta Stibraniova, Mirko Slovak, Pavlina Bartikova, Zuzana Halasova, Peter Pancik, Petra Belvoncikova, Michaela Vrbova, Viera Holikova, Rosemary S. Hails, Patricia A. Nuttall
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2017)
Review
Immunology
Maria Kazimirova, Saravanan Thangamani, Pavlina Bartikova, Meghan Hermance, Viera Holikova, Iveta Stibraniova, Patricia A. Nuttall
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2017)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Scott J. Layzell, Daniel Bailey, Mick Peacey, Patricia A. Nuttall
TICKS AND TICK-BORNE DISEASES
(2018)
Article
Biology
Viera Holikova, Iveta Stibraniova, Pavlina Bartikova, Mirko Slovak, Maria Kazimirova
Review
Physiology
Iveta Stibraniova, Pavlina Bartikova, Viera Holikova, Maria Kazimirova
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Biology
Pavlina Bartikova, Mirko Slovak, Iveta Stibraniova
Summary: Ticks possess a wide array of salivary molecules that counteract host immune defenses, ensuring their unnoticed and prolonged attachment to the host skin. Salivary gland extracts from partially fed ticks significantly inhibit the cytotoxic activity of natural killer cells in mice, while extracts from unfed ticks do not show such inhibition. Proteomic approaches suggest that the molecule(s) responsible for this anti-natural killer cell activity are basic proteins with a molecular weight of approximately 30 kDa.
Review
Biology
Patricia A. Nuttall
Summary: There is generally a lack of evidence showing the impact of climate change on ticks and tick-borne infections. However, in certain regions such as Canada and northern Europe, there have been documented cases of tick populations expanding and diseases spreading as a result of rising temperatures. In the next 50 years, these trends are likely to continue as new species establish themselves and diseases such as Lyme borreliosis and tick-borne encephalitis may become less prevalent in certain regions.
Correction
Biology
Pavlina Bartikova, Mirko Slovak, Iveta Stibraniova
Review
Virology
P. Bartikova, V. Holikova, M. Kazimirova, I. Stibraniova
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Aysen Gargili, Agustin Estrada-Pena, Jessica R. Spengler, Alexander Lukashev, Patricia A. Nuttall, Dennis A. Bente
ANTIVIRAL RESEARCH
(2017)