ArticleParasites & vectors2014
Defensins from the tick Ixodes scapularis are effective against phytopathogenic fungi and the human bacterial pathogen Listeria grayi.
Article in Parasites & vectors, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers.
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Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 34 citations in OpenAlex.
- Comparative analysis of defensin expression inFrontiers in veterinary science · 2026Article
- Characterization of two novel defensins Han-Def1 and Han-Def2 fromFrontiers in microbiology · 2026Article
- Antischistosomal Potential of Animal-Derived Natural Products and Compounds.Microorganisms · 2025Review
- The immune factors involved in the rapid clearance of bacteria from the midgut of the tickFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2024Article
- Pathogenicity and virulence ofVirulence · 2023Review
- Defensins as a promising class of tick antimicrobial peptides: a scoping review.Infectious diseases of poverty · 2022Article
- Use of Defensins to Develop Eco-Friendly Alternatives to Synthetic Fungicides to Control Phytopathogenic Fungi and Their Mycotoxins.Journal of fungi (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Antimicrobial Peptides and Their Applications in Biomedical Sector.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Review
- Potent Activity of Hybrid Arthropod Antimicrobial Peptides Linked by Glycine Spacers.International journal of molecular sciences · 2021Article
- Hexapod Assassins' Potion: Venom Composition and Bioactivity from the Eurasian Assassin BugBiomedicines · 2021Article
- Tick defensin γ-core reduces Fusarium graminearum growth and abrogates mycotoxins production with high efficiency.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Interactions Between Ticks and Lyme Disease Spirochetes.Current issues in molecular biology · 2021Article
- Differential Expression of PutativeFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2020Article
- The Tick Cell Biobank: A global resource for in vitro research on ticks, other arthropods and the pathogens they transmit.Ticks and tick-borne diseases · 2018Review
- Article
- Establishing a reference array for the CS-αβ superfamily of defensive peptides.BMC research notes · 2016Article
- Insect antimicrobial peptides: potential tools for the prevention of skin cancer.Applied microbiology and biotechnology · 2016Review
- Characterization and regulation of expression of an antifungal peptide from hemolymph of an insect, Manduca sexta.Developmental and comparative immunology · 2016Article
- Virucidal activity of Haemaphysalis longicornis longicin P4 peptide against tick-borne encephalitis virus surrogate Langat virus.Parasites & vectors · 2016Article
- Antiplasmodial Activity Is an Ancient and Conserved Feature of Tick Defensins.Frontiers in microbiology · 2016Article
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Authors and funding
12 authors at 5 institutions in 5 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIxodes scapularis is the most common tick species in North America and a vector of important pathogens that cause diseases in humans and animals including Lyme disease, anaplasmosis and babesiosis. Tick defensins have been identified as a new source of antimicrobial agents with putative medical applications due to their wide-ranging antimicrobial activities. Two multigene families of defensins were previously reported in I. scapularis. The objective of the present study was to characterise the potential antimicrobial activity of two defensins from I. scapularis with emphasis on human pathogenic bacterial strains and important phytopathogenic fungi.
methodsScapularisin-3 and Scapularisin-6 mature peptides were chemically synthesised. In vitro antimicrobial assays were performed to test the activity of these two defensins against species of different bacterial genera including Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Listeria spp. as well as Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa along with two plant-pathogenic fungi from the genus Fusarium. In addition, the tissue-specific expression patterns of Scapularisin-3 and Scapularisin-6 in I. scapularis midgut, salivary glands and embryo-derived cell lines were determined using PCR. Finally, tertiary structures of the two defensins were predicted and structural analyses were conducted.
resultsScapularisin-6 efficiently killed L. grayi, and both Scapularisin-3 and Scapularisin-6 caused strong inhibition (IC50 value: ~1 μM) of the germination of plant-pathogenic fungi Fusarium culmorum and Fusarium graminearum. Scapularisin-6 gene expression was observed in I. scapularis salivary glands and midgut. However, Scapularisin-3 gene expression was only detected in the salivary glands. Transcripts from the two defensins were not found in the I. scapularis tick cell lines ISE6 and ISE18.
conclusionOur results have two main implications. Firstly, the anti-Listeria and antifungal activities of Scapularisin-3 and Scapularisin-6 suggest that these peptides may be useful for (i) treatment of antibiotic-resistant L. grayi in humans and (ii) plant protection. Secondly, the antimicrobial properties of the two defensins described in this study may pave the way for further studies regarding pathogen invasion and innate immunity in I. scapularis.
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