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Cysteine Proteases from Bloodfeeding Arthropod Ectoparasites

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Cysteine Proteases of Pathogenic Organisms

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 712))

Abstract

Cysteine proteases have been discovered in various bloodfeeding ectoparasites. Here, we assemble the available information about the function of these peptidases and reveal their role in hematophagy and parasite development. While most of the data shed light on key proteolytic events that play a role in arthropod physiology, we also report on the association of cysteine proteases with arthropod vectorial capacity. With emphasis on ticks, specifically Ixodes ricinus, we finally propose a model about the contribution of cysteine peptidases to blood digestion and how their concerted action with other tick midgut proteases leads to the absorbance of nutrients by the midgut epithelial cells.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Vector Immunology, Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic

    Daniel Sojka

  2. Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, Maryland, USA

    Ivo M. B. Francischetti & Eric Calvo

  3. Laboratory of Genomics and Proteomics of Disease Vectors, Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Czech Republic

    Michalis Kotsyfakis

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  1. Daniel Sojka
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  2. Ivo M. B. Francischetti
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  3. Eric Calvo
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  4. Michalis Kotsyfakis
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Infection, Immunity and Innovation (i3) Institute, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, Sydney, Australia

    Mark W. Robinson PhD

  2. Institute of Parasitology, McGill University, McDonald Campus, St. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec, Canada

    John P. Dalton PhD

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Sojka, D., Francischetti, I.M.B., Calvo, E., Kotsyfakis, M. (2011). Cysteine Proteases from Bloodfeeding Arthropod Ectoparasites. In: Robinson, M.W., Dalton, J.P. (eds) Cysteine Proteases of Pathogenic Organisms. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 712. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-8414-2_11

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