Transcriptome-based phylogeny of ticks of the genus Ixodes
Ticks (Ixodes hexagonus) were sampled in 2016, in the region of Nantes, France. Ticks were found (by Philippe Gourlay and Olivier Lambert) on a European hedgehog (Erinaceaus europaeus) that was brought to a wildlife rescue center (CVFSE Pays de la Loire, Nantes, France). RNA extraction was performed in 2016, independently for four conditions (engorged nymphs, engorged adult females, unengorged nymphs, unengorged adult females). An equimolar mix was used to produce a single final sample.  For all conditions, RNA was  extracted using a NucleoSpin RNA XS column (Macherey-Nagel, Dren, Germany) including a DNase and was stored in RNAsin (Promega, Madison, USA). The library was prepared using the Truseq Stranded kit (v4), and was sequenced on one lane of Illumina HiSeq 2500 along with other tick samples (different species of the genus Ixodes).