Date of Award
5-2021
Degree Type
Honors College Thesis
Academic Program
Biological Sciences BS
Department
Biological Sciences
First Advisor
Shahid Karim, Ph.D.
Advisor Department
Biological Sciences
Abstract
The lone star tick Amblyomma americanum is a vector of various disease-causing pathogens and tick-borne alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) with rapidly expanding populations in the south- and northeast regions of the United States. This study aimed to molecularly characterize galectin and determine its involvement in galactose-α-1,3-galactose (α-gal) synthesis, transport, reproductive fitness, and microbial homeostasis in this tick. The lone star tick galectin possesses two conserved carbohydrate recognition domains and shares homology with other Ixodid tick galectins. Time and tissue-dependent expression data shows that galectin is constantly expressed in salivary glands, midgut, and ovary tissues. An RNA interference approach was used to silence galectin gene expression and assess its functional consequences on tick galactose-metabolism, reproductive fitness, and microbial homeostasis. Depletion of galectin gene expression resulted in the downregulation of galactose-metabolism genes, but no significant reduction in levels of α-gal. Intriguingly, Galectin-silenced ticks showed impaired oviposition and increased microbial load in tick salivary gland and midgut tissue, indicating its potential role in tick immunity and microbial homeostasis. Together, these data provide valuable insight on tick physiology and may provide information that helps elucidate the onset of α-gal syndrome.
Copyright
Copyright for this thesis is owned by the author. It may be freely accessed by all users. However, any reuse or reproduction not covered by the exceptions of the Fair Use or Educational Use clauses of U.S. Copyright Law or without permission of the copyright holder may be a violation of federal law. Contact the administrator if you have additional questions.
Recommended Citation
Beauti, Sumar, "Molecular Characterization of Galectin from Amblyomma americanum in Context of α-Gal Syndrome" (2021). Honors Theses. 815.
https://aquila.usm.edu/honors_theses/815