TY - JOUR
T1 - Immunomodulatory Proteins in Tick Saliva From a Structural Perspective
AU - Denisov, S.S.
AU - Dijkgraaf, I.
N1 - Funding Information:
The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research and Maastricht UMC+ are greatly acknowledged for the financial support (NWO-ECHO 711.018.005 to ID and MUMC+ Kootstra Talent Fellowship to SD).
Publisher Copyright:
© Copyright © 2021 Denisov and Dijkgraaf.
PY - 2021/10/13
Y1 - 2021/10/13
N2 - To feed successfully, ticks must bypass or suppress the host's defense mechanisms, particularly the immune system. To accomplish this, ticks secrete specialized immunomodulatory proteins into their saliva, just like many other blood-sucking parasites. However, the strategy of ticks is rather unique compared to their counterparts. Ticks' tendency for gene duplication has led to a diverse arsenal of dozens of closely related proteins from several classes to modulate the immune system's response. Among these are chemokine-binding proteins, complement pathways inhibitors, ion channels modulators, and numerous poorly characterized proteins whose functions are yet to be uncovered. Studying tick immunomodulatory proteins would not only help to elucidate tick-host relationships but would also provide a rich pool of potential candidates for the development of immunomodulatory intervention drugs and potentially new vaccines. In the present review, we will attempt to summarize novel findings on the salivary immunomodulatory proteins of ticks, focusing on biomolecular targets, structure-activity relationships, and the perspective of their development into therapeutics.
AB - To feed successfully, ticks must bypass or suppress the host's defense mechanisms, particularly the immune system. To accomplish this, ticks secrete specialized immunomodulatory proteins into their saliva, just like many other blood-sucking parasites. However, the strategy of ticks is rather unique compared to their counterparts. Ticks' tendency for gene duplication has led to a diverse arsenal of dozens of closely related proteins from several classes to modulate the immune system's response. Among these are chemokine-binding proteins, complement pathways inhibitors, ion channels modulators, and numerous poorly characterized proteins whose functions are yet to be uncovered. Studying tick immunomodulatory proteins would not only help to elucidate tick-host relationships but would also provide a rich pool of potential candidates for the development of immunomodulatory intervention drugs and potentially new vaccines. In the present review, we will attempt to summarize novel findings on the salivary immunomodulatory proteins of ticks, focusing on biomolecular targets, structure-activity relationships, and the perspective of their development into therapeutics.
KW - protein
KW - saliva
KW - immunomodulatory
KW - ticks
KW - structure-activity relationship
KW - CHEMOKINE-BINDING PROTEIN
KW - SOFT TICK
KW - IXODES-SCAPULARIS
KW - COMPLEMENT INHIBITOR
KW - SIALOSTATIN-L
KW - FUNCTIONAL-CHARACTERIZATION
KW - ORNITHODOROS-SAVIGNYI
KW - SERPIN STRUCTURE
KW - CUTTING EDGE
KW - FAMILY
U2 - 10.3389/fcimb.2021.769574
DO - 10.3389/fcimb.2021.769574
M3 - (Systematic) Review article
C2 - 34722347
SN - 2235-2988
VL - 11
JO - Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
JF - Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
M1 - 769574
ER -