Institute of Zoology SAS
Topic
Genetic diversity of tick neuropeptides and their role in blood uptake and digestion as well as in the transmission of pathogens
PhD. program
Molecular biology
Year of admission
2025
Name of the supervisor
Ing. Ladislav Roller, PhD.
Contact:
Receiving school
Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave
Annotation
The aim of the work is to identify genes and analyse the expression and function of peptides and their receptors in the vectors of dangerous pathogens, 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 the effects of the peptides on mature tick organs in vitro, and qPCR or Western blots to analyse changes in the production and activity of digestive enzymes in gut extracts. We will investigate the function of the signalling pathways for these neuropeptides using RNA interference and perform experiments to test the transmission of pathogens from ticks to laboratory mice and clarify the role of selected neuropeptides and their receptors in this process.