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Expression dynamics of autophagy-related genes in the cattle tick Rhipicephalus microplus during embryonic development and under increasing larval starvation

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Abstract

Rhipicephalus microplus is a hematophagous ectoparasite that significantly affects parasitized cattle. As a one-host tick its entire life cycle consists of free-living and parasitic forms. Its extraordinary ability to survive during prolonged off-host periods has been related to the process of cytoplasmic degradation called autophagy. In order to deepen our understanding of this process during R. microplus non-parasitic stages, we determined the expression dynamics of a set of five autophagy-related genes (ATG genes) during embryonic development and over an increasing larval starvation period of 50 days. We found two apparent successive waves of ATG genes transcriptional activation, which paralleled key embryonic changes such as cellularization and organogenesis, as well as nutrient utilization. Moreover, during increasing larval starvation, ATG genes were up-regulated cyclically every 10–15 days. Taken together, our results suggest that autophagy is playing a major role in embryo development and energy metabolism during starvation in R. microplus.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT) México; Grant Numbers 216321 and 246310, both to MMV.

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Author notes

  1. González Castillo Celia and Ortuño Sahagún Daniel have contributed equally for this manuscript.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Biomédicas (IICB), CUCS, Universidad de Guadalajara, Sierra Mojada 950, Col. Independencia, 44340, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

    Celia González Castillo & Daniel Ortuño Sahagún

  2. Tecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Zapopan, Mexico

    Celia González Castillo

  3. Unidad de Biotecnología Médica y Farmacéutica, Centro de Investigación y Asistencia en Tecnología y Diseño del Estado de Jalisco, AC, Av. Normalistas 800, Col. Colinas de la Normal, 44270, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

    Moisés Martínez Velázquez

Authors
  1. Celia González Castillo
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  2. Daniel Ortuño Sahagún
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  3. Moisés Martínez Velázquez
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Correspondence to Moisés Martínez Velázquez.

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González Castillo, C., Ortuño Sahagún, D. & Martínez Velázquez, M. Expression dynamics of autophagy-related genes in the cattle tick Rhipicephalus microplus during embryonic development and under increasing larval starvation. Exp Appl Acarol 79, 255–266 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-019-00428-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-019-00428-7

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