A reassessment of argasid tick salivary gland ultrastructure from an immuno-cytochemical perspective

Previous morphological and histochemical studies of argasid tick salivary glands indicated that they were less complex than ixodid salivary glands, with only three granular cell types. The present study shows that there exist at least four different granular cell types in the salivary glands of the argasid tick Ornithodoros savignyi, based on immuno-localization of the anti-hemostatic factors, apyrase and savignygrin. Both anti-hemostatic factors were localized to dense core granule type 'a' and to granule type 'b', that shares a similar homogenous morphology with non-labeled granule type 'd'. Furthermore, the major tick salivary gland proteins (TSGPs), previously implicated in granule biogenesis, were localized to all the granular cell types. This indicates that granular cell types with different morphologies can express the same proteins, while cell types that show similar morphologies may not express the same proteins. Argasid tick salivary glands seem to be more complex than previously thought and might not be amenable to morphological classification alone. Alternative classification methodologies that rely on physical expression patterns of the salivary gland proteome might be more reliable as markers for a specific granular cell type.     

Salivary glands in ixodid ticks: control and mechanism of secretion

The salivary glands are vital to the biological success of ixodid ticks and the major route for pathogen transmission. Important functions include the absorption of water vapor from unsaturated air by free-living ticks, excretion of excess fluid for blood meal concentration, and the secretion of bioactive protein and lipid compounds during tick feeding. Fluid secretion is controlled by nerves. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter at the neuroeffector junction regulating secretion via adenylate cyclase and an increase in cellular cAMP. Dopamine also affects the release of arachidonic acid which is subsequently converted to prostaglandins. Prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) is secreted at extremely high levels into tick saliva for export to the host where it impacts the host physiology. Additionally, PGE(2) has an autocrine or paracrine role within the salivary gland itself where it interacts with a PGE(2) receptor to induce secretion (exocytosis) of bioactive saliva proteins via a phosphoinositide signalling pathway and an increase in cellular Ca(2+). Regulation of fluid secretion has been extensively studied, but little is known about the mechanism of fluid secretion. Continuing advances in tick salivary gland physiology will be made as key regulatory and secretory gland proteins are purified and/or their genes cloned and sequenced.     

The major tick salivary gland proteins and toxins from the soft tick,Ornithodoros savignyi,are part of the tick Lipocalin family: implications for the origins of tick toxicoses

The origins of tick toxicoses remain a subject of controversy because no molecular data are yet available to study the evolution of tick-derived toxins. In this study we describe the molecular structure of toxins from the soft tick, Ornithodoros savignyi. The tick salivary gland proteins (TSGPs) are four highly abundant proteins proposed to play a role in salivary gland granule biogenesis of the soft tick O. savignyi, of which the toxins TSGP2 and TSGP4 are a part. They were assigned to the lipocalin family based on sequence similarity to known tick lipocalins. Several other tick lipocalins were also identified using Smith-Waterman database searches, bringing the tick lipocalin family up to 20. Phylogenetic analysis showed that most tick lipocalins group within genus-specific clades, suggesting that gene duplication and divergence of tick lipocalin function occurred after tick speciation, most probably during the evolution of a hematophagous lifestyle. TSGP2 and TSGP3 show high sequence identity and group terminal to moubatin, an inhibitor of collagen-induced platelet aggregation from the tick, O. moubata. However, no platelet aggregation inhibitory activity is associated with the TSGPs using ADP or collagen as agonists, suggesting that TSGP2 and TSGP3 duplicated after divergence of O. savignyi and O. moubata. This timing is supported by the absence of TSGP2-4 in the salivary gland extracts of O. moubata. The absence of TSGP2 and TSGP4 in salivary gland extracts from O. moubata correlates with the nontoxicity of this tick species. The implications of this study are that the various forms of tick toxicoses do not have a common origin, but must have evolved independently in those tick species that cause pathogenesis.     

Role of Cyclic Nucleotides and Calcium in Controlling Tick Salivary Gland Function

The paired salivary glands of female ixodid ticks are essentialorgans of osmoregulation. As the female feeds, the rate of salivaryfluid secretion increases greatly enabling the tick to concentrateits bloodmeal by returning excess water and ions to the hostvia the salivary ducts. The glands are controlled by nervesand the neurotransmitter at the neuroeffector junction is dopamine.Cyclic AMP is a "second messenger" of the fluid secretory process.Specific endogenous salivary gland proteins are phosphorylatedby cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinases which facilitate insome way the fluid secretory process. Fluid secretory capabilityand dopamine sensitive adenylate cyclase activity in glandsof feeding females are dependent on weight of the feeding tickfrom which they are obtained. Conversely, cyclic AMP-dependentphosphodiesterase is inversely related to the magnitude of fluidsecretory capability of the glands. Deletion of calcium or additionof verapamil to the bathing medium during experiments with isolatedglands inhibits dopamine-stimulated fluid secretion. The preciserole(s) of calcium in secretion is(are) unknown but it may helpregulate cyclic AMP by regulating activator and inhibitor proteinsof cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase. The inhibitor modulators areat much higher concentrations in salivary glands of ticks inthe rapid phase of feeding.     

Rhipicephalus appendiculatus feeding on rabbits and cattle: Salivary-gland responses to varying host resistance

AdultRhipicephalus appendiculatus ticks were fed as three sequential infestations on both rabbits and cattle. The feedings at first infestation on naive hosts were optimum for the ticks, whereas at third infestation the hosts were resistant, as expressed by reduced tick feeding performance. Ticks from naive and resistant hosts were examined for histological differences of salivary glands. In ticks fed on resistant rabbits there was a large increase in the synthesis of glycoprotein secretory granules in thec ₁ cells compared with ticks fed on naive rabbits. In ticks fed on naive and resistant cattle, the activity of thec ₁ cells was less than in ticks fed on naive and resistant rabbits. It was concluded that the salivary glands are able to respond selectively to conditions at the feeding site, and that this may be advantageous to the tick.     

Changes in dopamine-sensitive adenylate cyclase activity in salivary glands of female lone star ticks,Amblyomma americanum (L.), during feeding

The activity of dopamine-sensitive adenylate cyclase in feeding female ixodid tick salivary glands was dependent on the state of tick feeding. Activity was significantly greater than the “basal” activity in salivary glands from ticks at all stages of tick feeding. Enzyme activity was not detected in the glands of unfed females. Enzyme activity reached a peak in glands of ticks weighing approx. 200 mg then declined as ticks increased in weight beyond 200 mg to repletion. Replete ticks (detached from the host for 12–24 hr) had similar levels of basal and dopamine-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity as that measured in salivary glands of high weight (>200 mg) ticks. Enzyme activity was 19–62% less in glands from ticks feeding on hosts that had been parasitized 2–4 months earlier by lone star ticks.     

Factors influencing the toxicity of salivary gland extracts of Ixodes holocyclus Neumann

A bioassay using mice was developed to compare the toxin content of extracts of salivary glands of I. holocyclus at various stages of feeding. The quantity of toxin increased rapidly from the third day of feeding. Toxin production continued and increased in ticks removed after 3–5 days on mice and held at 30°C at 92% RH for 24 h, whereas no toxin was detected in the salivary glands of ticks fed for 3 days and treated similarly. It is suggested that major physiological changes occur in the salivary glands of I. holocyclus on the third day, which once stimulated continue independently of feeding. Toxin production in ticks was not suppressed by passively immunizing mice with anti-tick toxin but was in ticks fed upon hosts with a previous experience of tick feeding.Thus, to obtain salivary glands containing high concentrations of toxin for chemical analysis, it is necessary for salivary glands to develop 5 days from the initial attachment of the tick to a host with no previous experience of tick feeding. This can be achieved by passively immunizing mice against toxin, thus enabling the tick to feed 5 days without killing the mouse or by keeping the tick for 24 h at 30°C at 92% RH following the death of the mouse on the fourth day.     

Amblyomma americanum salivary gland homolog of nSec1 is essential for saliva protein secretion

Soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor proteins assemble in tight core complexes which promote fusion of carrier vesicles with target compartments. Members of this class of proteins are expressed in all eukaryotic cells and distributed in distinct subcellular compartments. All vesicle transport mechanisms known to date have an essential requirement for a member of the Sec1 protein family, including the nSec1 in regulated exocytosis. A homolog of nSec1 was cloned and sequenced from the salivary glands of partially fed female ticks. Double-stranded RNA was used to specifically reduce the amount of nSec1 mRNA and protein in female adult tick salivary glands. This reduction was accompanied by a decrease in anticoagulant protein release by the glands and by abnormalities in feeding by dsRNA treated ticks. We report the efficacy of double-stranded RNA-mediated interference in "knocking down" nSec1 both in vivo and in vitro in tick salivary glands and the applicability of this technique for studying the mechanism of exocytosis in tick salivary glands.     

Identification of novel tick salivary gland proteins for vaccine development

Methods currently used to control Ixodes scapularis ticks rely principally on acaricidal applications which suffer from a number of limitations. Recently, host vaccination against ticks has been shown to be a promising alternative tick control method. In tick salivary glands, numerous genes are induced during the feeding process. Many of these newly expressed proteins are secreted in tick saliva and may play a role in modulating host immune responses and pathogen transmission. We have performed suppression subtraction hybridization to identify unique I. scapularis salary gland proteins specifically expressed during engorgement. We have cloned and sequenced ten unique salivary gland-associated cDNAs that are up-regulated during feeding. The protein products of these genes represent potential vaccine candidates for use in the control of ticks and to prevent transmission of tick-borne diseases.     

Developmental changes in morphology and toxin content of the salivary gland of the australian paralysis tick Ixodes holocyclus

Binnington K.C. and Stone B.F. 1981. Developmental changes in morphology and toxin content of the salivary gland of the Australian paralysis tick Ixodes holocyclus.International Journal for Parasitology11: 343–351. Histological study of the salivary gland of female I. holocyclus has shown that 2 of the 4 cell types present are richest in granules in the unfed stage but have discharged these granules after an attachment period of 24 h. The presence of a toxin in homogenates of salivary glands from unfed females and its absence after 24 h of attachment may be associated with the loss of granules from these 2 cell types shortly after attachment. Another cell type shows a gradual increase in granule content throughout feeding and a fourth, a peak in granule content after an attachment period of 120 h. The latter cell type may produce the paralysing toxin since ticks do not paralyse the host until they have fed for about this time and homogenised glands are most toxic at 120–144 h.     

Comparative sialomics between hard and soft ticks: implications for the evolution of blood-feeding behavior

Ticks evolved various mechanisms to modulate their host's hemostatic and immune defenses. Differences in the anti-hemostatic repertoires suggest that hard and soft ticks evolved anti-hemostatic mechanisms independently, but raise questions on the conservation of salivary gland proteins in the ancestral tick lineage. To address this issue, the sialome (salivary gland secretory proteome) from the soft tick, Argas monolakensis, was determined by proteomic analysis and cDNA library construction of salivary glands from fed and unfed adult female ticks. The sialome is composed of approximately 130 secretory proteins of which the most abundant protein folds are the lipocalin, BTSP, BPTI and metalloprotease families which also comprise the most abundant proteins found in the salivary glands. Comparative analysis indicates that the major protein families are conserved in hard and soft ticks. Phylogenetic analysis shows, however, that most gene duplications are lineage specific, indicating that the protein families analyzed possibly evolved most of their functions after divergence of the two major tick families. In conclusion, the ancestral tick may have possessed a simple (few members for each family), but diverse (many different protein families) salivary gland protein domain repertoire.     

Putative new expression of genes in ixodid tick salivary gland development during feeding.

Poly(A+) mRNA-enriched fractions from salivary glands of partially fed Amblyomma americanum female ticks were translated in vitro with a rabbit reticulocyte translation system. Translated proteins were labeled with [35S]methionine, separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and identified by autoradiography. Thirty major identifiable polypeptides with molecular weights ranging from 14 to 136 kDa were synthesized from mRNA isolated from salivary glands of ticks weighing less than 100 mg. Polypeptides that comigrated at the same molecular weight were translated by mRNA from ticks at a more advanced stage of feeding (more than 300 mg) as were 8 others with molecular weights of 31, 71, 91, 106, 113, 118, and 128 kDa. Results demonstrated that differential gene expression may be stimulated in the developing salivary glands as the tick feeds.     

A cement protein of the tick Rhipicephalus appendiculatus,located in the secretory e cell granules of the type III salivary gland acini,induces strong antibody responses in cattle

Protein components of the cement cone of ixodid ticks are candidates for inclusion in vaccines against tick infestation, since they are essential for tick attachment and feeding. We describe here the cloning of a cDNA encoding a 36 kDa protein, designated Rhipicephalus Immuno-dominant Molecule 36 (RIM36), present in salivary glands and the cement cone material secreted by Rhipicephalus appendiculatus. The 334-amino-acid sequence of RIM36 has a high content of glycine, serine and proline. The protein contains a predicted N-terminal signal peptide and two classes of glycine-rich amino acid repeats, a GL[G/Y/S/F/L] tripeptide and a GSPLSGF septapeptide. Comparison of genomic and cDNA sequences reveals a 597 bp intron within the 3' end of the RIM36 gene. Immuno-electron microscopy demonstrates that RIM36 is predominantly located in the e cell granules of the type III salivary gland acini. An Escherichia coli recombinant form of the proline-rich C-terminal domain of RIM36 reacts with antisera from Bos indicus cattle, either experimentally infested with R. appendiculatus, or exposed to ticks in the field. The 36 kDa protein is strongly recognised on Western blots of salivary gland lysates and soluble extracts of purified R. appendiculatus cement cones by polyclonal antibodies generated against recombinant RIM36, and by antisera from cattle experimentally infested with ticks. The data indicate that this tick cement component is a target of strong antibody responses in cattle exposed to feeding ticks.     

Brain factor induced formation of inositol phosphates in tick salivary glands

A factor from tick brain increases inositol phosphates in isolated, whole tick salivary glands. The factor is sensitive to trypsin and heat (5 min, 100°C) suggesting that it may be a neuropeptide or protein. The salivary glands undergo growth and differentiation accompanied by considerable proliferation of plasma membranes during tick feeding. Salivary glands from ticks in later stages of feeding produce higher levels of inositol phosphates than glands from ticks in early stages of feeding. Cyclic AMP modulates the formation of inositol phosphates suggesting interaction of salivary gland function by the transducing system that employs cyclic AMP as a “second messenger” and that which employs inositol phosphates.     

Similar mechanisms regulate protein exocytosis from the salivary glands of ixodid and argasid ticks

Numerous bioactive compounds are secreted from large dense core granules in tick salivary glands during feeding in response to an external stimulus. Investigations into the signalling pathways regulating secretion indicated that they are similar for Argasidae (fast-feeding ticks) and Ixodidae (slow-feeding ticks), but differ in their sensitivity to prostaglandin E(2). In both cases, dopamine is the external signal for inducing exocytosis. Dopamine-induced exocytosis was shown to be strongly calcium dependant. Firstly, it requires extracellular calcium via a L-type voltage-gated calcium channel located on the plasma membrane and, secondly, intracellular calcium which is released presumably in response to inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate (IP(3)). Pathways such as the activation of phospholipase C, inositol-phosphate kinases, G-proteins, GTPases and Na(+)-K(+)-ATPases have been shown to be essential.