Blood feeding-induced transcriptomic changes in the hard tick Ixodes persulcatus
We generated a reference transcriptome containing 56,900 unigenes. Comprehensive analyses of metabolic detoxification and antioxidant systems revealed species-specific expansions in key supergene families such as cytochrome P450s and glutathione S-transferases. The expression profiles across feeding stages revealed pronounced physiological changes in response to blood meal, and GO enrichment analysis showed that these changes were mainly involved in blood acquisition, nutrient metabolism, respiratory processes, hormone synthesis, egg development, immune responses, ROS detoxification, transcription and translation. These findings offer new insights into the molecular physiology of tick hematophagy and provide a valuable resource for future studies on stress responses and metabolic regulation in ticks.
Authors
- X. Xu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8148-3539)
- Xuechao Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-9042-2478)
- Wenwu Yao
- Bin Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0742-380X)
- Chuanxi Zhang
- X. Frank Yang
- Yihan Lou
- Zhangnv Yang
Institutions
- Xian Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CN)
- Hangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CN)
- Zhejiang Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CN)
- Indiana University School of Medicine
- Indiana University (US)
- Zhejiang University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Frontiers in Insect Science
- Published
- 2026-02-23
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3389/finsc.2026.1669026
- Primary Topic
- Vector-borne infectious diseases
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Science Foundation
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
- Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China
- Science and Technology Department of Zhejiang Province
- Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province