Project description:In order to select genes that are differentially expressed in salivary glands during Ixodes ricinus infection by Bartonella henselae we compare the transcriptome of infected and non-infected salivary glands
Project description:In order to select genes that are differentially expressed in salivary glands during Ixodes ricinus infection by Bartonella henselae we compare the transcriptome of infected and non-infected salivary glands I. ricinus from a pathogen free colony were infected -or not- with B. henselae at the larval and then the nymphal stage and salivary glands of the resulting females adult were dissected for RNA extraction. 454 sequencing was performed on pooled conditions in order to obtain a reference databank. Infected and non-infected samples were then sequenced separatly with illumina, blaston teh reference datbank and compared.
Project description:Here, we challenged rabbits with repeated feeding of Ixodes ricinus adults and observed the formation of specific antibodies against several tick salivary proteins. To identify the salivary antigens, isolated immunoglobulins from repeatedly infested rabbits were utilised for a pull-down from the saliva of pilocarpine-treated ticks. Eluted antigens were separated on 1D SDS-PAGE and analysed by peptide mass fingerprinting. To increase the authenticity of immunogens identified, we also performed, for the first time, de novo assembly of the sialome from I. ricinus females fed for six days, a timepoint used for pilocarpine-salivation.