Genomic insights into the Ixodes scapularis tick vector of Lyme disease

Monika Gulia-Nuss, Andrew B. Nuss, Jason M. Meyer, Daniel E Sonenshine, R. Michael Roe, Robert M. Waterhouse, David B. Sattelle, José de la Fuente, Jose M. Ribeiro, Karine Megy, Jyothi Thimmapuram, Jason R. Miller, Brian P. Walenz, Sergey Koren, Jessica B. Hostetler, Mathangi Thiagarajan, Vinita S. Joardar, Linda I. Hannick, Shelby Bidwell, Martin P HammondSarah Young, Qiandong Zeng, Jenica L Abrudan, Francisca C Almeida, Nieves Ayllón, Ketaki Bhide, Brooke W Bissinger, Elena Bonzon-Kulichenko, Steven D. Buckingham, Daniel R. Caffrey, Melissa J. Caimano, Vincent Croset, Timothy Driscoll, Don Gilbert, Joseph J. Gillespie, Gloria I Giraldo-Calderón, Jeffrey M. Grabowski, David Jiang, Sayed M. S. Khalil, Donghun Kim, Katherine M. Kocan, Juraj Koči, Richard J. Kuhn, Timothy J. Kurtti, Kristin Lees, Emma G. Lang, Ryan C. Kennedy, Hyeogsun Kwon, Rushika Perera, Yumin Qi, Justin D. Radolf, Joyce M Sakamoto, Alejandro Sánchez-Gracia, Maiara S. Severo, Neal Silverman, Ladislav Šimo, Marta Tojo, Cristian Tornador, Janice P. Van Zee, Jesús Vázquez, Filipe Jorge Garrett Vieira, Margarita Villar, Adam R. Wespiser, Yunlong Yang, Jiwei Zhu, Peter Arensburger, Patricia V Pietrantonio, Stephen C Barker, Renfu Shao, Evgeny M. Zdobnov, Frank Hauser, Cornelis (Cok) Grimmelikhuijzen, Yoonseong Park, Julio Rozas, Richard Benton, Joao H. F. Pedra, David R Nelson, Maria F. Unger, Jose M C Tubio, Zhijian Tu, Hugh M. Robertson, Martin Shumway, Granger Sutton, Jennifer R. Wortman, Daniel Lawson, Stephen K. Wikel, Vishvanath M. Nene, Claire M. Fraser, Frank H. Collins, Bruce Birren, Karen E. Nelson, Elisabet Caler, Catherine A. Hill

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Abstract

Ticks transmit more pathogens to humans and animals than any other arthropod. We describe the 2.1 Gbp nuclear genome of the tick, Ixodes scapularis (Say), which vectors pathogens that cause Lyme disease, human granulocytic anaplasmosis, babesiosis and other diseases. The large genome reflects accumulation of repetitive DNA, new lineages of retro-transposons, and gene architecture patterns resembling ancient metazoans rather than pancrustaceans. Annotation of scaffolds representing ∼57% of the genome, reveals 20,486 protein-coding genes and expansions of gene families associated with tick-host interactions. We report insights from genome analyses into parasitic processes unique to ticks, including host 'questing', prolonged feeding, cuticle synthesis, blood meal concentration, novel methods of haemoglobin digestion, haem detoxification, vitellogenesis and prolonged off-host survival. We identify proteins associated with the agent of human granulocytic anaplasmosis, an emerging disease, and the encephalitis-causing Langat virus, and a population structure correlated to life-history traits and transmission of the Lyme disease agent.

Original languageEnglish
Article number10507
JournalNature Communications
Volume7
Number of pages13
ISSN2041-1723
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2016

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