Open AccessComparison of the hemolysis machinery in two evolutionarily distant blood-feeding arthropod vectors of human diseases
Author(s) -
Moataza A. Dorrah,
Chaima Bensaoud,
Amr A. Mohamed,
Daniel Sojka,
Taha T. M. Bassal,
Michail Kotsyfakis
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
plos neglected tropical diseases
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.99
H-Index - 135
eISSN - 1935-2735
pISSN - 1935-2727
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009151
Subject(s) - hemolysis , biology , blood meal , hemolysin , red blood cell , microbiology and biotechnology , digestion (alchemy) , hemoglobin , midgut , immunology , biochemistry , virulence , zoology , chemistry , ecology , larva , chromatography , gene
Host blood protein digestion plays a pivotal role in the ontogeny and reproduction of hematophagous vectors. The gut of hematophagous arthropods stores and slowly digests host blood and represents the primary gateway for transmitted pathogens. The initial step in blood degradation is induced lysis of host red blood cells (hemolysis), which releases hemoglobin for subsequent processing by digestive proteolytic enzymes. The activity cycles and characteristics of hemolysis in vectors are poorly understood. Hence, we investigated hemolysis in two evolutionarily distant blood-feeding arthropods: The mosquito Culex pipiens and the soft tick Argas persicus , both of which are important human and veterinary disease vectors. Hemolysis in both species was cyclical after blood meal ingestion. Maximum digestion occurs under slightly alkaline conditions in females. Hemolytic activity appears to be of lipoid origin in C . pipiens and enzymatic activity (proteolytic) in A . persicus . We have assessed the effect of pH, incubation time, and temperature on hemolytic activity and the hemolysin. The susceptibility of red blood cells from different hosts to the hemolysin and the effect of metabolic inhibition of hemolytic activity were assessed. We conclude that in C . pipiens and A . persicus midgut hemolysins control the amplitude of blood lysis step to guarantee an efficient blood digestion.