Immune-related redox metabolism of embryonic cells of the tick Rhipicephalus microplus (BME26) in response to infection with Anaplasma marginale.

Background: It is well known that reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) are involved in the control of pathogens and microbiota in insects. However, the knowledge of the role of ROS and RNS in tick-pathogen and tick-microbiota interactions is limited. Here, we evaluated the immune-related redox metabolism of the embryonic cell line BME26 from the cattle tick Rhipicephalus microplus in response to Anaplasma marginale infection.

Exploring the immune signalling pathway-related genes of the cattle tick Rhipicephalus microplus: From molecular characterization to transcriptional profile upon microbial challenge.

In dipteran insects, invading pathogens are selectively recognized by four major pathways, namely Toll, IMD, JNK, and JAK/STAT, and trigger the activation of several immune effectors. Although substantial advances have been made in understanding the immunity of model insects such as Drosophila melanogaster, knowledge on the activation of immune responses in other arthropods such as ticks remains limited. Herein, we have deepened our understanding of the intracellular signalling pathways likely to be involved in tick immunity by combining a large-scale in silico approach with high-throughput gene expression analysis.

Parasite burden in Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis-infected mice: validation of luciferase as a quantitative tool.

Given the lack of effective and safe alternatives to the drugs already in use, considerable efforts are being applied to the search of new therapeutic options to treat leishmaniasis. A necessary step in the discovery of antileishmanial drugs is the validation of drug candidates in mouse models. The standard methods to quantify the parasite burden in animal models, mainly culture-based, are time consuming and expensive.