Ixodes scapularis Src tyrosine kinase facilitates Anaplasma phagocytophilum survival in its arthropod vector

Publication date: Available online 6 April 2019Source: Ticks and Tick-borne DiseasesAuthor(s): Jeremy W. Turck, Vikas Taank, Girish Neelakanta, Hameeda SultanaAbstractAnaplasma phagocytophilum, the agent of human anaplasmosis, is an obligate intracellular bacterium that uses multiple survival strategies to persist in Ixodes scapularis ticks. Our previous study showed that A. phagocytophilum efficiently induced the tyrosine phosphorylation of several Ixodes proteins that includes extended phosphorylation of actin at tyrosine residue Y178. In order to identify the tyrosine kinase responsible for the A. phagocytophilum induced tyrosine phosphorylation of proteins, we combed the I. scapularis genome and identified a non-receptor Src tyrosine kinase ortholog. I. scapularis Src kinase showed high degree of amino acid sequence conservation with Dsrc from Drosophila melanogaster. We noted that at different developmental stages of I. scapularis ticks, larvae expressed significantly higher levels of src transcripts in comparison to the other stages. We found that A. phagocytophilum significantly reduced Src levels in unfed nymphs and in nymphs while blood feeding (48 h during feeding) in comparison to the levels noted to relative uninfected controls. However, A. phagocytophilum increased Src levels in fully engorged larvae and nymphs (48 h post feeding) and in vitro tick cells in comparison to the relative uninfected controls. Inhibition of Src kinase expression and activity by tre...
Source: Ticks and Tick borne Diseases - Category: Zoology Source Type: research