title: Evidence of the role of tick subolesin in gene expression.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Subolesin is an evolutionary conserved protein that was discovered recently in Ixodes scapularis as a tick protective antigen and has a role in tick blood digestion, reproduction and development. In other organisms, subolesin orthologs may be involved in the control of developmental processes. Because of the profound effect of subolesin knockdown in ticks and other organisms, we hypothesized that subolesin plays a role in gene expression, and therefore affects multiple cellular processes. The objective of this study was to provide evidence for the role of subolesin in gene expression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two subolesin-interacting proteins were identified and characterized by yeast two-hybrid screen, co-affinity purification and RNA interference (RNAi). The effect of subolesin knockdown on the tick gene expression pattern was characterized by microarray analysis and demonstrated that subolesin RNAi affects the expression of genes involved in multiple cellular pathways. The analysis of subolesin and interacting protein sequences identified regulatory motifs and predicted the presence of conserved protein kinase C (PKC) phosphorylation sites.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Collectively, these results provide evidence that subolesin plays a role in gene expression in ticks.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA. jose.de_la_fuente@okstate.edu
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: de la Fuente
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Maritz-Olivier
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Naranjo
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ayoubi
authors.forename: Ard M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Nijhof
authors.forename: Consuelo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Almazán
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Canales
authors.forename: José M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Pérez de la Lastra
authors.forename: Ruth C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Galindo
authors.forename: Edmour F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Blouin
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gortazar
authors.forename: Frans
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Jongejan
authors.forename: Katherine M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Kocan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010058:Oviposition / Q000235:genetics; D010063:Ovum / Q000254:growth & development; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D013987:Ticks / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D020798:Two-Hybrid System Techniques
chemical_list: D011506:Proteins