Screening gut antigens of Rhipicephalus microplus tick through the phage display technique

• Grant number: 24/02303-5
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: November 01, 2024
• End date: October 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Molecular Biology
• Principal Investigator: Aparecida Sadae Tanaka
• Grantee: Aparecida Sadae Tanaka
• Host Institution: Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 19/03779-5 - Use of phage display as a tool in the diagnosis and control of diseases transmitted by hematophagous vectors, AP.TEM
• Associated scholarship(s): 24/22525-2 - Screening gut antigens of Rhipicephalus microplus tick through the phage display technique, BP.JD

Abstract

Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus, known as the cattle tick, holds great importance in veterinary medicine due to its parasitism of cattle in Brazil and other countries in tropical and subtropical zones. Infestations caused by the parasite can negatively impact animal production, leading to losses of billions of dollars in the livestock sector. Additionally, this species is implicated as a vector of several pathogens such as babesiosis and anaplasmosis. Tick control in herds is mainly achieved through the use of chemical acaricides, which can lead to the selection of resistant populations, as well as environmental contamination and contamination of animal products. Therefore, over the past decades, alternative strategies for parasite control have been evaluated, and among them, tick vaccines are considered a promising method. To achieve success in blood meal on vertebrate hosts, ticks present several bioactive molecules secreted in the gut, which perform diverse functions related to the modulation of host homeostasis and immune system, allowing the acquisition of blood nutrients and protecting the gut epithelium from the host's immune system components ingested during feeding. Previous studies have shown that the neutralization of gut molecules by antibodies can impact feeding efficiency or even lead parasites to death, suggesting that these molecules are promising targets for use in control strategies. Therefore, the aim of the proposed project is to efficiently identify gut antigens from the cattle tick at different feeding stages, by using the phage display strategy. cDNA libraries corresponding to the gut of females at different stages of the feeding process will be produced and displayed on M13 phages for the screening of antigens against antibodies produced after immunizing rabbits with gut proteins extract. The selected antigens will be used in the production of polyclonal antibodies which, next, will be evaluated for their ability to affect feeding and egg production by R. microplus females, in artificial feeding assays. Thus, it is expected that potential vaccine antigens could be identified, allowing the development of new control strategies against R. microplus. (AU)