Endocrinology of Tick Reproduction: A New Perspective

North Carolina State University, Raleigh NC

Investigators

Abstract

Little information is currently available on the hormones of ticks and their role in development and reproduction, especially in comparison to insects, other arthropods and animals in general. The lack of basic knowledge of tick hormones is a critical impediment to the to the advancement of the general science of tick, mite, spider and related animal biology as well as to the development of new control methods for this important arthropod group responsible for the transmission of human diseases. The hypothesis over the last two decades has been that ticks regulate their development with juvenile hormone (JH). Data collected in the laboratories of the investigators indicate that JH is not found in two species of ticks. The goal of this study is to identify the hormones that regulate egg development and reproduction in the American dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis. This will be achieved by sequencing the gene(s) coding for the tick egg yolk protein and then examining the role of possible hormones on the regulation of this gene. Preliminary data are available of the role of a steroid and synganglion hormone from the female tick involved in the regulation of egg development. The studies proposed are to further validate the role of these hormones and to develop a model on how they are used to regulate reproduction. The proposal is a collaborative research effort between laboratories at North Carolina State University and Old Dominion University. The research will provide training opportunities for postdoctoral and graduate students in the field of tick biochemistry and molecular biology. The work proposed will provide new opportunities to develop novel chemical and molecular approaches to the control of medically-important ticks.