Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Division of Microbial Ecology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Institute for Medical Research, National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.
Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2024 Oct 10;14:1476266. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1476266. eCollection 2024.
Although the importance of the microbiome in the context of tick biology and vector competence has recently come into a broader research focus, the field is still in its infancy and the complex ecological interactions between the tick residential bacteria and pathogens are obscure. Here, we show that an environmentally acquired gut bacterium has the potential to impair colonization within the tick vector through a secreted metalloprotease. Oral introduction of either LTG-1 isolate or its purified enhancin (Enhancin) protein significantly reduces burden in the guts of ticks. This effect is attributed to the ability of Enhancin to degrade a glycan-rich peritrophic matrix (PM), which is a gut protective barrier essential for survival. Our study highlights the importance of the gut microbiome in determining tick vector competence and provides a deeper mechanistic insight into the complex network of interactions between , the tick, and the tick microbiome.
尽管微生物组在蜱生物学和媒介效能方面的重要性最近引起了更广泛的研究关注，但该领域仍处于起步阶段，蜱类居住细菌和病原体之间复杂的生态相互作用还不清楚。在这里，我们表明，一种环境获得的肠道细菌有可能通过分泌的金属蛋白酶来损害蜱类载体的定殖。口服引入 LTG-1 分离株或其纯化的增强蛋白（Enhancin）显著降低了蜱类肠道中的负担。这种效果归因于 Enhancin 降解富含聚糖的围食膜（PM）的能力，PM 是一种肠道保护屏障，对于生存至关重要。我们的研究强调了肠道微生物组在决定蜱类媒介效能方面的重要性，并深入了解了、蜱类和蜱类微生物组之间复杂的相互作用网络。
