Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39376631›Full record

ReviewFrontiers in cell and developmental biology2024

A glimpse into the world of microRNAs and their putative roles in hard ticks.

Brenda Leal-Galvan, Deepak Kumar, Shahid Karim, Perot Saelao, Donald B Thomas, Adela Oliva Chavez

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Frontiers in cell and developmental biology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Frontiers in microbiology · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Brenda Leal-GalvanDepartment of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States.
Deepak KumarSchool of Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, United States.
Shahid KarimSchool of Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, United States.
Perot SaelaoUSDA-ARS Veterinary Pest Research Unit, Kerrville, TX, United States.
Donald B ThomasUSDA-ARS Cattle Fever Tick Research Laboratory, Edinburg, TX, United States.
Adela Oliva ChavezDepartment of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Ticks are important blood feeding ectoparasites that transmit pathogens to wildlife, domestic animals, and humans. Hard ticks can feed for several days to weeks, nevertheless they often go undetected. This phenomenon can be explained by a tick's ability to release analgesics, immunosuppressives, anticoagulants, and vasodilators within their saliva. Several studies have identified extracellular vesicles (EVs) as carriers of some of these effector molecules. Further, EVs, and their contents, enhance pathogen transmission, modulate immune responses, and delay wound healing. EVs are double lipid-membrane vesicles that transport intracellular cargo, including microRNAs (miRNAs) to recipient cells. miRNAs are involved in regulating gene expression post-transcriptionally. Interestingly, tick-derived miRNAs have been shown to enhance pathogen transmission and affect vital biological processes such as oviposition, blood digestion, and molting. miRNAs have been found within tick salivary EVs. This review focuses on current knowledge of miRNA loading into EVs and homologies reported in ticks. We also describe findings in tick miRNA profiles, including miRNAs packed within tick salivary EVs. Although no functional studies have been done to investigate the role of EV-derived miRNAs in tick feeding, we discuss the functional characterization of miRNAs in tick biology and pathogen transmission. Lastly, we propose the possible uses of tick miRNAs to develop management tools for tick control and to prevent pathogen transmission. The identification and functional characterization of conserved and tick-specific salivary miRNAs targeting important molecular and immunological pathways within the host could lead to the discovery of new therapeutics for the treatment of tick-borne and non-tick-borne human diseases.

Indexed as

extracellular vesiclesmiRNA transportRNA transport proteinssmall RNAtick feeding

Identifiers

PMID39376631
PMCPMC11456543

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.