Date of Award
5-2024
Degree Type
Honors College Thesis
Academic Program
Biological Sciences BS
Department
Biological Sciences
First Advisor
Shahid Karim, Ph.D.
Advisor Department
Biological Sciences
Abstract
Introduction: Transfer RNA synthetases are a family of enzymes that catalyze the addition of amino acids to their corresponding transfer RNAs (tRNAs) and play an essential role in protein synthesis. Ticks are obligate hematophagous ectoparasites that rely on prolonged feeding periods to complete their life cycle on a vertebrate host. Tick tRNA synthetases help the tick in continuous protein synthesis for efficient blood feeding and reproductive fitness, thus presenting a potential target for developing new tick control strategies. Studies have been conducted assessing the functionality of different tRNA synthetases such as Valine-tRNA synthetase, Asparagine-tRNA synthetase, Lysine-tRNA synthetase, and Leucine-tRNA synthetase in Ixodes scapularis resulting in impaired feeding, as well as Seryl-tRNA synthetases which has been vital in mitochondrial respiration in Drosophila and reduced Zika virus prevalence in Aedes aegypti. Amblyomma americanum is another pathogen transmitting arthropod that transmits pathogen such as Ehrlichia chaffeensis but the role of tRNA synthetase particularly ThrRS has not been evaluated in detail and its role in tick physiology remains unexplored. We hypothesized that Threonyl tRNA synthetase is essential in tick hematophagy and reproductive fitness.
Method: In this study, we investigated the crucial role of threonyl transfer RNA (tRNA) synthetase in the lone-star tick (Amblyomma americanum) during prolonged blood feeding on the host and assessed its role in reproductive fitness. To validate this hypothesis, the RNA interference (RNAi) approach was used to evaluate the functional role of the target gene on the tick blood feeding and reproductive fitness.
Result: Silencing of threonyl-tRNA synthetase in female adult ticks impaired the egg-laying capacity of ticks. Tick phenotype changes such as partially fed weight, engorged weight, and egg laying were also impaired. This study provides a deep insight into the functional role of threonyl tRNA synthetase in designing new tick-specific inhibitors to prevent ticks and tick-borne diseases.
Copyright
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Recommended Citation
Ali, Anza, "Understanding the Functional Role of Lone Star Tick (Amblyomma americanum) Threonyl-tRNA synthetase in reproductive fitness" (2024). Honors Theses. 970.
https://aquila.usm.edu/honors_theses/970