TICK IMMUNITY

Project 1 seeks to uncover how tick signaling pathways govern immune-developmental cascades in Ixodes scapularis ticks and influence their vectorial competence, impacting the spread of two major tick-borne pathogens – the agents of Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi) and anaplasmosis (Anaplasma phagocytophilum). Due to their evolutionary divergence from other arthropods, unique lifestyles, and wide geographical and host ranges, Ixodes ticks have evolved unorthodox traits in their use of conserved cell signaling systems. Our past studies, led by Dr. Utpal Pal of the University of Maryland, contributed to the discovery of novel cross-species signaling cascades that enable I. scapularis ticks to sense mammalian-derived factors, such as the interferon-γ (IFNγ) cytokine, that are ingested in the tick’s blood meal, which then bind tick receptors and trigger specific signaling cascades, as the team recently discovered for the Dome1-JAK-STAT signaling pathway. Once activated, these cross-kingdom signaling systems not only enhance tick responses against invading pathogens, but also facilitate multiple aspects of tick biology, including blood feeding, metamorphosis, and organ development, ultimately shaping the tick’s vectorial competence.