Ir-CPI, a coagulation contact phase inhibitor from the tick Ixodes ricinus, inhibits thrombus formation without impairing hemostasis.

Blood coagulation starts immediately after damage to the vascular endothelium. This system is essential for minimizing blood loss from an injured blood vessel but also contributes to vascular thrombosis. Although it has long been thought that the intrinsic coagulation pathway is not important for clotting in vivo, recent data obtained with genetically altered mice indicate that contact phase proteins seem to be essential for thrombus formation.

Ixodes ricinus tick lipocalins: identification, cloning, phylogenetic analysis and biochemical characterization.

Background: During their blood meal, ticks secrete a wide variety of proteins that interfere with their host's defense mechanisms. Among these proteins, lipocalins play a major role in the modulation of the inflammatory response.

Methodology/principal Findings: Screening a cDNA library in association with RT-PCR and RACE methodologies allowed us to identify 14 new lipocalin genes in the salivary glands of the Ixodes ricinus hard tick.

Ir-LBP, an ixodes ricinus tick salivary LTB4-binding lipocalin, interferes with host neutrophil function.

Background: During their blood meal, ticks secrete a wide variety of proteins that can interfere with their host's defense mechanisms. Among these proteins, lipocalins play a major role in the modulation of the inflammatory response.

Methodology/principal Findings: We previously identified 14 new lipocalin genes in the tick Ixodes ricinus.

A family of putative metalloproteases in the salivary glands of the tick Ixodes ricinus.

Ticks are obligate blood-feeding arachnids. During their long-lasting blood meal, they have to counteract the protective barriers and defense mechanisms of their host. These include tissue integrity, pain, hemostasis, and the inflammatory and immune reactions.

Variability and action mechanism of a family of anticomplement proteins in Ixodes ricinus.

Background: Ticks are blood feeding arachnids that characteristically take a long blood meal. They must therefore counteract host defence mechanisms such as hemostasis, inflammation and the immune response. This is achieved by expressing batteries of salivary proteins coded by multigene families.

The impact of gene knock-down and vaccination against salivary metalloproteases on blood feeding and egg laying by Ixodes ricinus.

Two cDNAs coding homologous putative metalloproteases (Metis 1 and Metis 2, expected molecular weights of 55.6 and 56.0kDa, respectively) were identified from the hard tick Ixodes ricinus.

Characterization of a novel salivary immunosuppressive protein from Ixodes ricinus ticks.

In tick salivary glands, several genes are induced during the feeding process, leading to the expression of new proteins. These proteins are typically secreted in tick saliva and are potentially involved in the modulation of the host immune and hemostatic responses. In a previous study, the construction and the analysis of a subtractive library led to the identification of Ixodes ricinus immunosuppressor (Iris), a novel protein, differentially expressed in I.