Intraflagellar transport (IFT) particles, a multi-protein apparatus composed of complex A and B, are known to be involved in homeostasis of flagella formation. IFT particles have recently become an interesting topic in Giardia lamblia, which has 4 pairs of flagella. In this experiment, we examined the function of giardial IFT components. When 7 components (IFT121, 140, 20, 46, 52, 81, and 88) of IFT were expressed in Giardia trophozoites as a tagged form with mNeonGreen, all of them were found in both flagella pores and cytoplasmic axonemes. In addition, motor proteins for IFT particles (kinesin-13 and kinesin-2b), were localized to a median body and cytoplasmic flagella, respectively. The CRISPRi-mediated knockdown of IFT88 significantly affected the lengths of all 4 flagella compared to the control cells, Giardia expressing dead Cas9 using control guide RNA. Decreased expression of kinesin-2b also resulted in shortening of flagella, excluding the ventral flagella. Live Giardia cells expressing IFT88-mNeonGreen clearly demonstrated fluorescence in flagella pores and cytoplasmic axonemes. These results on IFT88 and kinesin-2b indicate that IFT complex plays a role in maintenance of G. lamblia flagella.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Identification and confirmation of SUMOylation-modified proteins in Giardia trophozoites Hye Rim Yeo, Mee Young Shin, Juri Kim, Soon-Jung Park Parasites, Hosts and Diseases.2025; 63(3): 264. CrossRef
Acanthamoeba is an opportunistic pathogen that causes Acanthamoeba keratitis, granulomatous amoebic encephalitis, and other cutaneous diseases. The life cycle of Acanthamoeba consists of 2 stages of trophozoites and cysts. Under adverse environmental conditions, Acanthamoeba encysts, while the conditions become favorable for growth, it reverts to the trophozoite form. Acanthamoeba excystation is crucial for its proliferation and can lead to recurrent infections after incomplete treatment. To identify the factors involved in excystation, A. castellanii was subjected to either encystation- or excystation-inducing conditions, and gene expression profiles were compared using mRNA sequencing. A. castellanii samples were collected at 8 h intervals for analysis under both conditions. Differentially expressed gene analysis revealed that 1,214 and 1,163 genes were upregulated and downregulated, respectively, by more than 2-fold during early excystation. Five genes markedly upregulated in early excystation (ACA1_031140, ACA1_032330, ACA1_374400, ACA1_275740, and ACA1_112650) were selected, and their expression levels were confirmed via real-time PCR. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting these 5 genes was transfected into Acanthamoeba and gene knockdown was validated through real-time PCR. The silencing of ACA1_031140, ACA1_032330, ACA1_374400, and ACA1_112650 inhibited excystation and suggested that these genes might be essential for excystation. Our findings provide valuable insights for suppressing Acanthamoeba proliferation and recurrence.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Encystment and Excystment Processes in Acanthamoeba castellanii: An Emphasis on Cellulose Involvement Mathew Choaji, Ascel Samba-Louaka, Zineb Fechtali-Moute, Willy Aucher, Sébastien Pomel Pathogens.2025; 14(3): 268. CrossRef
Integrating molecular pathogenesis and predictive modelling in granulomatous amoebic encephalitis due to
Acanthamoeba
: a digital twin framework for personalised therapy
Ruqaiyyah Siddiqui, David Lloyd, Naveed Ahmed Khan Infectious Diseases.2025; : 1. CrossRef
Microarray-based characterization of airway inflammation induced by environmental Acanthamoeba exposure versus the ovalbumin-alum model Shin Ae Kang, Hak Sun Yu Parasites, Hosts and Diseases.2025; 63(4): 327. CrossRef
Ticks, blood-sucking ectoparasites, spread diseases to humans and animals. Haemaphysalis longicornis is a significant vector for tick-borne diseases in medical and veterinary contexts. Identifying protective antigens in H. longicornis for an anti-tick vaccine is a key tick control strategy. Enolase, a multifunctional protein, significantly converts D-2-phosphoglycerate and phosphoenolpyruvate in glycolysis and gluconeogenesis in cell cytoplasm. This study cloned a complete open reading frame (ORF) of enolase from the H. longicornis tick and characterized its transcriptional and silencing effect. We amplified the full-length cDNA of the enolase gene using rapid amplification of cDNA ends. The complete cDNA, with an ORF of 1,297 nucleotides, encoded a 432-amino acid polypeptide. Enolase of the Jeju strain H. longicornis exhibited the highest sequence similarity with H. flava (98%), followed by Dermacentor silvarum (82%). The enolase motifs identified included N-terminal and C-terminal regions, magnesium binding sites, and several phosphorylation sites. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis indicated that enolase mRNA transcripts were expressed across all developmental stages of ticks and organs such as salivary gland and midgut. RT-PCR showed higher transcript levels in syn-ganglia, suggesting that synganglion nerves influence enolase,s role in tick salivary glands. We injected enolase double-stranded RNA into adult unfed female ticks, after which they were subsequently fed with normal unfed males until they spontaneously dropped off. RNA interference significantly (P<0.05) reduced feeding and reproduction, along with abnormalities in eggs (no embryos) and hatching. These findings suggest enolase is a promising target for future tick control strategies.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Comprehensive antigen identification and comparative analysis: significant approaches for controlling Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks Md. Samiul Haque, Bumseok Kim, Myung-Jo You Journal of Veterinary Science.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Microbiome Composition of Haemaphysalis flava in Korea and Diversity Analysis Based on Region, Developmental Stage, and Sex Min Kyu Sang, Jie eun Park, Dae Kwon Song, Jun Yang Jeong, Chan‐Eui Hong, Hyeonjun Shin, Hyeok Lee, Kyoung Won Lee, Hee Ju Hwang, Hyun woo Kim, Seong Yoon Kim, Wook‐Gyo Lee, So Young Park, Se Won Kang, Jung Han Park, Bharat Bhusan Patnaik, Sung‐Jae Cha, S Entomological Research.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Identification and knockdown effect of disulfide isomerase in the Haemaphysalis longicornis (Acari: Ixodidae) Md Samiul Haque, Bumseok Kim, Myung-Jo You Revista Brasileira de Parasitologia Veterinária.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
The global resurgence of bed bug infestations, exacerbated by increasing international travel, trade, and insecticide resistance, has significantly impacted Korea. This study identified the bed bug species and performed pyrethroid resistance genotyping of recently resurgent bed bugs in Korea. Thirty-one regional bed bug samples were collected from 5 administrative regions: Gyeonggi-do (n=14), Seoul (n=13), Busan (n=2), Jeonllanam-do (n=1), and Chungcheongbuk-do (n=1). The samples underwent morphological and molecular identification. Twenty-four regional samples (77.4%) were identified as the tropical bed bug, Cimex hemipterus, and the remaining 7 regional samples (22.6%) were identified as the common bed bug, Cimex lectularius. The C. hemipterus regional samples carried at least three mutations associated with knockdown resistance (kdr), including 2 super-kdr mutations. The 7 C. lectularius regional samples possessed at least one of the 3 kdr-related mutations associated with pyrethroid resistance. This study confirms that the prevalent bed bug species recently in Korea is C. hemipterus, replacing the previously endemic C. lectularius. Additionally, the rise in bed bug populations with pyrethroid resistance underscores the necessity of introducing alternative insecticides.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Widespread fixation of kdr-associated mutations in temporal samples of Cimex lectularius collected from multi-unit buildings Jin-Jia Yu, Warren Booth, Changlu Wang Journal of Pest Science.2026;[Epub] CrossRef
Multiple mechanisms associated with deltamethrin and imidacloprid resistance in field-collected common bed bug, Cimex lectularius L. Jin-Jia Yu, Shao-Hung Lee, Chow-Yang Lee, Changlu Wang Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology.2025; 210: 106357. CrossRef
Global Perspective of Insecticide Resistance in Bed Bugs and Management Options Chow‐Yang Lee Entomological Research.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Molecular identification and knockdown resistance mutation of bed bugs involved in 2019 outbreak in Cape Coast, Ghana and Munich, Germany Andreas A. Kudom, Philipp Hanke, Joana Ayettey, Rofela Combey, Ben A. Mensah, Benjamin Anderson, Andreas Wieser Acta Tropica.2025; 265: 107623. CrossRef
Toxicity of ivermectin to bed bugs (Cimex hemipterus) and risk factors associated with infestation in Kwale County, coastal Kenya Tobias Odongo, Isaiah Omondi, Caroline Wanjiku, Miguel Okoko, Caroline Kiuru, Mercy Kariuki, Isaac Ringera, Bruno Otieno, Festus Mure, Joanna Furnival-Adams, Almudena Sanz Gutierrez, Rachel Otuko, Nelly Regina Rabinovich, Joseph Mwangangi, Carlos Chaccour Parasites & Vectors.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Current status of bed bug Cimex lectularius (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) infestation and prevalence of insecticide-resistant amino acid substitutions in Osaka Prefecture, Japan Maaya Sasaki Medical Entomology and Zoology.2025; 76(2): 45. CrossRef
Development of molecular diagnostic protocols for simultaneous identification of common bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) and tropical bed bugs (Cimex hemipterus) Jeong Heum Han, Junhyeong Choi, Susie Cho, Si Hyeock Lee, Ju Hyeon Kim Parasites & Vectors.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
2023–2024년 국내에서 발생한 빈대의 분포 조사 기훈 김, 선란 조, 희일 이 Public Health Weekly Report.2024; 17(45): 1956. CrossRef
Knockdown resistance (kdr) mutations in the voltage-gated sodium channel (VGSC) of mosquitoes confer resistance to insecticides. Although insecticide resistance has been suspected to be widespread in the natural population of Aedes aegypti in Myanmar, only limited information is currently available. The overall prevalence and distribution of kdr mutations was analyzed in Ae. aegypti from Mandalay areas, Myanmar. Sequence analysis of the VGSC in Ae. aegypti from Myanmar revealed amino acid mutations at 13 and 11 positions in domains II and III of VGSC, respectively. High frequencies of S989P (68.6%), V1016G (73.5%), and F1534C (40.1%) were found in domains II and III. T1520I was also found, but the frequency was low (8.1%). The frequency of S989P/V1016G was high (55.0%), and the frequencies of V1016G/F1534C and S989P/V1016G/F1534C were also high at 30.1% and 23.5%, respectively. Novel mutations in domain II (L963Q, M976I, V977A, M994T, L995F, V996M/A, D998N, V999A, N1013D, and F1020S) and domain III (K1514R, Y1523H, V1529A, F1534L, F1537S, V1546A, F1551S, G1581D, and K1584R) were also identified. These results collectively suggest that high frequencies of kdr mutations were identified in Myanmar Ae. aegypti, indicating a high level of insecticide resistance.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Monitoring insecticide resistance and target-site mutations in field populations of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in China Baojuan Zeng, Jianghao Ding, Yajuan Xiao, Shilong Wang, Jie Zhong, Yueru Ye, Huiru Zhou, Jing Song, Wenxin Zhao, Shutang Zhou, Huidong Wang, Raul Narciso Guedes Journal of Economic Entomology.2025; 118(2): 868. CrossRef
Knockdown-resistance (kdr) mutations in Indian Aedes aegypti populations: Lack of recombination among haplotypes bearing V1016G, F1534C, and F1534L kdr alleles Taranjeet Kaur, Rajababu S. Kushwah, Sabyasachi Pradhan, Manoj K. Das, Madhavinadha P. Kona, Anushrita, Radhika Mittal, David Weetman, Rajnikant Dixit, Om P. Singh, Jean-philippe David PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.2025; 19(6): e0013126. CrossRef
Pyrethroid resistance in Aedes aegypti: genetic mechanisms worldwide, and recommendations for effective vector control Jonathan Rene Hernandez, Patricia Victoria Pietrantonio Parasites & Vectors.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Detection of Putative Mutation I873S in the Sodium Channel of Megalurothrips usitatus (Bagnall) Which May Be Associated with Pyrethroid Resistance Ruibo Gao, Rongcai Lu, Xinyao Qiu, Likui Wang, Kun Zhang, Shaoying Wu Insects.2023; 14(4): 388. CrossRef
Knockdown Resistance Mutations in the Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) in Myanmar Haung Naw, Tuấn Cường Võ, Hương Giang Lê, Jung-Mi Kang, Yi Yi Mya, Moe Kyaw Myint, Tong-Soo Kim, Ho-Joon Shin, Byoung-Kuk Na Insects.2022; 13(4): 322. CrossRef
Detection of pyrethroid resistance mutations and intron variants in the voltage‐gated sodium channel of Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti and Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus mosquitoes from Lao People's Democratic Republic Sebastien Marcombe, Katherine Shimell, Rachel Savage, Edward Howlett, Phonesavanh Luangamath, Somphat Nilaxay, Vacky Vungkyly, Anne Baby, Mathew King, Josie Clarke, Chloe Jeffries, Josna Jojo, Emily Lacey, Farris Bhatty, Dadirayi Mabika, Andrea Dela Cruz, Medical and Veterinary Entomology.2022; 36(4): 424. CrossRef