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Silencing expression of the Rhipicephalus microplus vitellogenin receptor gene blocks Babesia bovis transmission and interferes with oocyte maturation
- Source :
- Parasites & Vectors, Vol 12, Iss 1, Pp 1-7 (2019), Parasites & Vectors
- Publication Year :
- 2019
- Publisher :
- Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2019.
-
Abstract
- Background Rhipicephalus microplus is an efficient biological vector of Babesia bovis, a causative agent of bovine babesiosis. Babesia bovis is passed transovarially to the next generation of ticks, which then transmit the parasite to naïve animals. Due to the importance of the R. microplus ovary for tick reproduction and transmission of B. bovis, we investigated the hypothesis that silencing vitellogenin receptor gene expression in the ovary during tick feeding on B. bovis-infected cattle would affect parasite transmission to the next generation of ticks. Results Silencing expression of the vitellogenin receptor in the ovary by RNA interference, resulted in reduced tick fertility. We observed reduced egg production (i.e. reduced weight of eggs), a lower rate of embryonic development, and a reduction in hatching. Analysis of individual larvae by PCR confirmed that RNAi mediated downregulation of the R. microplus vitellogenin receptor and also interfered with transovarial transmission of B. bovis. None of the larvae (0/58) from the RmVgR dsRNA-injected group were PCR-positive, whereas 12% (7/58) and 17% (10/58) of larvae from the non-injected and buffer-injected control groups, respectively, were infected with B. bovis. Conclusions The combined effects of reduced fecundity and reduced infection in surviving larvae resulting from silencing indicate that vitellogenin receptor is essential for tick reproduction and may play a vital role in B. bovis transmission.
- Subjects :
- Male
0301 basic medicine
animal structures
Transovarial transmission
030231 tropical medicine
Short Report
Cattle Diseases
Receptors, Cell Surface
Biology
Tick
lcsh:Infectious and parasitic diseases
Microbiology
Vitellogenins
03 medical and health sciences
Vitellogenin
RNA interference
0302 clinical medicine
Babesiosis
parasitic diseases
Gene expression
Rhipicephalus
Animals
Gene silencing
lcsh:RC109-216
Gene Silencing
Egg Proteins
Ovary
fungi
Babesia bovis
biology.organism_classification
030104 developmental biology
Infectious Diseases
Rhipicephalus microplus
Vitellogenin receptor
Oocytes
biology.protein
Cattle
Female
Parasitology
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 17563305
- Volume :
- 12
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Parasites & Vectors
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....6571153cf604f7d53e331f09a5a56b03