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The embryogenesis of the Tick Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus : The establishment of a new chelicerate model system
Author(s) -
Santos Vitória Tobias,
Ribeiro Lupis,
Fraga Amanda,
Barros Cíntia Monteiro,
Campos Eldo,
Moraes Jorge,
Fontenele Marcio Ribeiro,
Araújo Helena Marcolla,
Feitosa Natalia Martins,
Logullo Carlos,
Fonseca Rodrigo Nunes
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
genesis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.093
H-Index - 110
eISSN - 1526-968X
pISSN - 1526-954X
DOI - 10.1002/dvg.22717
Subject(s) - biology , horseshoe crab , tick , zoology , rhipicephalus , monophyly , ixodidae , acari , population , rhipicephalus microplus , anatomy , ecology , phylogenetics , genetics , clade , demography , sociology , gene
Summary: Chelicerates, which include spiders, ticks, mites, scorpions, and horseshoe crabs, are members of the phylum Arthropoda. In recent years, several molecular experimental studies of chelicerates have examined the embryology of spiders; however, the embryology of other groups, such as ticks (Acari: Parasitiformes), has been largely neglected. Ticks and mites are believed to constitute a monophyletic group, the Acari. Due to their blood‐sucking activities, ticks are also known to be vectors of several diseases. In this study, we analyzed the embryonic development of the cattle tick, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (Acari: Ixodidae). First, we developed an embryonic staging system consisting of 14 embryonic stages. Second, histological analysis and antibody staining unexpectedly revealed the presence of a population of tick cells with similar characteristics to the spider cumulus. Cumulus cell populations also exist in other chelicerates; these cells are responsible for the breaking of radial symmetry through bone morphogenetic protein signaling. Third, it was determined that the posterior (opisthosomal) embryonic region of R. microplus is segmented. Finally, we identified the presence of a transient ventral midline furrow and the formation and regression of a fourth leg pair; these features may be regarded as hallmarks of late tick embryogenesis. Importantly, most of the aforementioned features are absent from mite embryos, suggesting that mites and ticks do not constitute a monophyletic group or that mites have lost these features. Taken together, our findings provide fundamental common ground for improving knowledge regarding tick embryonic development, thereby facilitating the establishment of a new chelicerate model system. genesis 51:803–818. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.