ArticleEvolutionary applications2021
Harm or protection? The adaptive function of tick toxins.
Article in Evolutionary applications, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.
- Tick paralysis induced byFrontiers in veterinary science · 2024Article
- Molecular Identification ofJournal of parasitology research · 2024Article
- Bulk and single-nucleus RNA sequencing highlight immune pathways induced in individuals during anInfection and immunity · 2023Article
- Harm or protection? The adaptive function of tick toxins.Evolutionary applications · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The existence of tick toxins is an old enigma that has intrigued scientists for a long time. The adaptive value of using deadly toxins for predatory animals is obvious: they try to kill the prey in the most effective way or protect themselves from their natural enemies. Ticks, however, are blood-sucking parasites, and it seems paradoxical that they have toxins similar to spiders, scorpions and snakes. Based on published data, here we examine the potential adaptive function of different types of toxins produced by soft and hard ticks. We hypothesize that there are diverse evolutionary roles behind (a) to attack and reduce the tick-transmitted pathogens inside the vertebrate host systemically to protect the tick, (b) to paralyse the host to stop grooming, (c) to speed up host heartbeat to improve blood supply and (d) to inhibit the process of necroptosis to prevent the rejection of hard ticks. We will provide published evidence that supports the above-mentioned hypotheses, and we will give an outlook how these new scientific results might be applied in modern pharmacology and medicine.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.