Study on the molecular mechanism of autophagy at nonfeeding periods in the hard tick Haemaphysalis longicornis

蜱虫是食血节肢动物，在寻找寄主期间，它们可以在没有食物的情况下存活数月至数年。本研究的重点是真核生物在饥饿状态下诱导的自噬。自噬相关基因的敲除和自噬抑制剂的治疗导致成年蜱的寿命缩短。蜱虫的自噬可能有助于弥补非摄食期宿主血液成分中营养物质的损失。

Ticks are hematophagous arthropods and they can survive without food during the host-seeking period for several months to years. This study focused on autophagy which is induced during starvation in eukaryotes. Knockdown of autophagy-related genes and treatment with autophagy inhibitor led to a shortened life span in adult ticks. Tick autophagy might help compensate for the loss of nutrients derived from host blood components during the non-feeding period.