Tick microbiomes; are endosymbiotic bacteria mutualists, commensals or hyperparasites?

蜱微生物组；

• 批准号: RGPIN-2015-06300
• 负责人: Chilton, Neil
• 金额: $ 3.28万
• 依托单位: University of Saskatchewan
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2015-01-01 至 2016-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=590972
• 关键词: Tick; microbiomes; endosymbiotic; bacteria; mutualists

Advances in genomics provide exciting opportunities to study the microbiomes (i.e. microbial communities) of arthropods. Ticks, obligate blood-feeding arthropods, transmit the greatest variety of pathogenic agents to domestic animals and humans in North America. These parasitic arthropods are also hosts of non-pathogenic bacterial endosymbionts that are assumed to be beneficial (i.e. mutualists) or of no harm (i.e. commensals) to their tick host; however, this remains to be tested. Recent studies show that a tick’s immune system not only targets pathogenic bacteria but also regulates the numbers of endosymbiotic bacteria. Demonstrating that some non-pathogenic bacteria have a negative effect on their tick host would shift discussion on the functional roles of bacterial endosymbionts to a new paradigm: that is, they are parasites of a parasite (i.e. hyperparasites).

基因组学的进展为研究节肢动物的微生物组（即微生物群落）提供了令人兴奋的机会。蜱是专性吸血节肢动物，在北美将最多种类的病原体传播给家畜和人类。这些寄生节肢动物也是非致病性细菌内共生体的宿主，这些内共生体被认为对其蜱宿主有益（即互利）或无害（即寄生）;然而，这仍有待检验。最近的研究表明，蜱的免疫系统不仅针对病原菌，而且还调节内共生细菌的数量。证明一些非病原性细菌对其蜱虫宿主产生负面影响将把关于细菌内共生体功能作用的讨论转移到一个新的范式：即它们是寄生虫的寄生虫（即超级寄生虫）。