Institute of Zoology SAS
Topic
Functional analysis of neuropeptides and their receptors in ticks
PhD. program
Molecular biology
Year of admission
2025
Name of the supervisor
RNDr. Dušan Žitňan, DrSc.
Contact:
Receiving school
Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave
Annotation
Ticks are very important vectors of dangerous pathogens, but the regulatory mechanisms required for successful transmission of these pathogens from the tick into the host's bloodstream are unknown. The physiological processes that regulate the functions of the salivary glands, gut and gonads during the tick's life cycle are also unknown. Our published and preliminary results suggest that several specific peptidergic neurons innervate these organs, which are the main reservoirs for pathogens. Previous unpublished experiments suggest that these neurons regulate the activity of these organs and probably also the transmission of pathogens during tick suckling on the host. In this work, we will use immunohistochemical, molecular, bioinformatic and physiological techniques to identify regulatory molecules (neuropeptides and their receptors) and neuronal pathways that are important for the normal function of the salivary glands, digestive tract and reproductive organs of the Ixodes ricinus tick. Using RNAi methods and experiments in which we test the transmission of pathogens from these tick organs to laboratory mice, we will elucidate the role of selected neuropeptides and their receptors in this process.