Institute of Zoology SAS
Topic
Functional analysis of neuropeptides and their receptors involved in the regulation of digestion and reproduction in ticks
PhD. program
Animal physiology
Year of admission
2025
Name of the supervisor
Ing. Ladislav Roller, PhD.
Contact:
Receiving school
Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave
Annotation
Ticks are important vectors of dangerous human and animal pathogens with a unique mode of development and reproduction. Their important adaptations include several modifications of the reproductive and digestive organs. These organs are controlled by regulatory molecules governed by neuropeptides produced by neurons and endocrine cells. However, the neuroendocrine processes that regulate reproduction and digestion are not well understood. Our preliminary and published results suggest that several neuropeptides are involved in the control of these organs, the function of which is not yet clear. In this work, we will use molecular biological and immunohistochemical methods to identify signalling molecules as well as peptidergic RNAi and transgenic approaches in combination with physiological and behavioural assays to elucidate the functions of selected neuropeptides and their receptors in model insect species and the tick Ixodes ricinus.