Identification of Anaplasma marginale proteins specifically upregulated during colonization of the tick vector.

Infect Immun

Program in Vector-Borne Diseases, Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology and School for Global Animal Health, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164-7040, USA.

Published: July 2010

AI Article Synopsis

  • The study explores how the transition of the pathogen Anaplasma marginale from mammalian hosts to tick vectors is crucial for understanding disease transmission.
  • Identification of 15 proteins that are specifically upregulated in tick cells compared to infected mammalian cells suggests that these proteins play a role in adapting the bacteria to different host environments.
  • The findings imply potential strategies for disrupting transmission through targeted vaccines or treatments, emphasizing the importance of understanding host-specific gene regulation.

Article Abstract

The transition between infection of the mammalian host and colonization of an arthropod vector is required for the ongoing transmission of a broad array of pathogens, from viruses to protozoa. Understanding how this transition is mediated provides opportunities to disrupt transmission through either chemotherapy or immunization. We used an unbiased proteomic screen to identify Anaplasma marginale proteins specifically upregulated in the tick compared to the mammalian host. Comparative mass spectrometric analysis of proteins separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of uninfected and infected ISE6 cells and infected mammalian cells identified 15 proteins exclusively expressed or upregulated in tick cells. All 15 had originally been annotated as hypothetical proteins. We confirmed quantitative upregulation and expression in situ within the midgut epithelial and salivary gland acinar cells of vector ticks during successful transmission. The results support the hypothesis that A. marginale gene expression is regulated by the specific host environment and, in a broader context, that the core genome evolved in the arthropod vector with differential regulation, allowing adaptation to mammalian hosts. Furthermore, the confirmation of the in situ expression of candidates identified in ISE6 cell lines indicates that this approach may be widely applicable to bacteria in the genera Anaplasma and Ehrlichia, removing a major technical impediment to the identification of new targets for vaccine and chemotherapeutic blocking of transmission.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2897376PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/IAI.00300-10DOI Listing

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