The Transcriptomic Response of Ixodes pacificus Salivary Gland Tissue with Respect to Lizard and Rodent Blood Meals
Sofia Trinidad-Rivera
Department of Biology
Faculty Supervisor: Andrea Swei
The western black-legged tick, Ixodes pacificus (I. pacificus), is responsible for the spread of the Lyme disease bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb), in the western United States. Borrelia transmission involves the pathogen colonizing the tick midgut. Once the tick is ready to feed, Bb migrates to the salivary glands and is passed to the host via salivary fluid. During feeding, the tick salivary gland produces an array of proteins that minimize host immune response. Common blood meal hosts for I. pacificus include western fence lizards and rodents, such as woodrats and deer mice. Unlike rodents, western fence lizards possess an unknown trait within their blood that cleanses the tick of Bb. This study will compare the genetic expression of I. pacificus salivary gland tissue post blood meals. In addition, ticks that are along the early and late stages of feeding will be collected. I will utilize bulk RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to compare the gene expression of ticks after different blood meals and stages of feeding that occur within the same meal. Identifying differentially expressed genes to characterize the molecular response to distinct host blood meals will improve our understanding of tick-host interactions with potential implications for disease diagnosis and vaccine development.