Institute of Zoology SAS
Topic
Expression and function of neuropeptides and their receptors in ticks
PhD. program
Molecular biology
Year of admission
2025
Name of the supervisor
Ing. Ladislav Roller, PhD.
Contact:
Receiving school
Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave
Annotation
We will identify and analyse the expression and function of peptides and their receptors in vectors of dangerous pathogens, in the ticks Ixodes ricinus and I. scapularis. Regulatory peptides are a diverse group of molecules that control important physiological processes in insects and vertebrates, such as homeostatic water and ion concentration, metabolism, food intake and reproduction. In ticks, their role is almost completely unknown. We will use bioinformatic methods, cDNA cloning, qRT-PCR, in situ hybridisation and immunohistochemical staining to uncover peptide signalling pathways in ticks. We will also functionally characterise the peptide receptor candidates. We will use electrophysiological techniques and video analysis to determine their effects on mature tick organs in vitro, and we will analyse changes in the production and activity of digestive enzymes in gut extracts by qPCR or Western blots. We will investigate the function of the signalling pathways for these neuropeptides by RNA interference to suppress the expression of their receptors.