Serine Protease Inhibitors in Ticks: An Overview of Their Role in Tick Biology and Tick-Borne Pathogen Transmission

Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology

Foulon, Thierry¹  Blisnick, Adrien A.²  Bonnet, Sarah I.⁴ 

[1] Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine, BiogenèUMR BIPAR INRA-ENVA-ANSES, Maisons-Alfort, France;s, UPMC Univ. Paris 06, Paris, France;se des Signaux Peptidiques, Sorbonne Université

关键词: Ticks;    Tick serine protease inhibitors;    tick-borne Pathogens;    tick-host interactions;    Immune responses;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fcimb.2017.00199

学科分类：生物科学（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

New tick and tick-borne pathogen control approaches that are both environmentally sustainable and which provide broad protection are urgently needed. Their development, however, will rely on a greater understanding of tick biology, tick-pathogen, and tick-host interactions. The recent advances in new generation technologies to study genomes, transcriptomes, and proteomes has resulted in a plethora of tick biomacromolecular studies. Among these, many enzyme inhibitors have been described, notably serine protease inhibitors (SPIs), whose importance in various tick biological processes is only just beginning to be fully appreciated. Among the multiple active substances secreted during tick feeding, SPIs have been shown to be directly involved in regulation of inflammation, blood clotting, wound healing, vasoconstriction and the modulation of host defense mechanisms. In light of these activities, several SPIs were examined and were experimentally confirmed to facilitate tick pathogen transmission. In addition, to prevent coagulation of the ingested blood meal within the tick alimentary canal, SPIs are also involved in blood digestion and nutrient extraction from the meal. The presence of SPIs in tick hemocytes and their involvement in tick innate immune defenses have also been demonstrated, as well as their implication in hemolymph coagulation and egg development. Considering the involvement of SPIs in multiple crucial aspects of tick-host-pathogen interactions, as well as in various aspects of the tick parasitic lifestyle, these molecules represent highly suitable and attractive targets for the development of effective tick control strategies. Here we review the current knowledge regarding this class of inhibitors in tick biology and tick-borne pathogen transmission, and their potential as targets for future tick control trials.

【 授权许可】

CC BY