Journal
PARASITOLOGY
Volume 137, Issue 12, Pages 1819-1831Publisher
CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1017/S0031182010000624
Keywords
Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus; cysteine endopeptidase; cysteine endopeptidase inhibitor; haemolymph; vitellin; VTDCE
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Funding
- Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa (CNPq)
- Programa de Nucleos de Excelencia (PRONEX)
- Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES)
- Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul (FAPERGS)
- Instituto Nacional de Ciencia e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular (INCT-EM)
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The tick Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus is an important parasite of cattle in many areas of the tropics. Characterization of molecules involved in mechanisms such as vitellogenesis and embryo development may contribute to a better understanding of this parasite's physiology. The vitellin-degrading cysteine endopeptidase (VTDCE) is the most active enzyme involved in vitellin hydrolysis in R. microplus eggs. Here we show an association between VTDCE and vitellin in an additional site, apart from the active site. Our data also demonstrate cysteine endopeptidase activity in different tissues such as ovary, gut, fat body, salivary gland and female haemolymph, where it is controlled by a physiological inhibitor. In R. microplus female gut, VTDCE is localized in areas of protein synthesis and trafficking with the underlying haemolymph. VTDCE is also localized in the ovary basal region, in vesicle membranes of ovary pedicel cells and in oocyte cytosol. These results suggest that VTDCE plays a role in vitellin digestion during tick development.
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