| Parameters | Rickettsia parkeri (Rp-) ticks | Rickettsia parkeri (Rp+) ticks |
---|---|---|---|
Rickettsia parkeri and symbionts dynamics | R. parkeri load (Rp) | No. R. parkeri | Increases load with blood meal in immature ticks. Decreases load along the blood meal in adult (female) tissues. |
Candidatus Midichloria mitochondrii (CMM) | Present across the tick life cycle. Blood meal reduces the abundances. | Proliferates with Rp infections. | |
Francisella-like endosymbiont (FLE) | Present across the tick life cycle. Blood meal reduces the abundances. | May get displaced with Rp infections. | |
Total bacterial load (BL) | Blood meal reduces the abundances. | Increase with Rp infections. | |
Transcriptional expressions of selenoproteins | Midgut tissues | SelO and SelS constantly express while SelM is cyclical (gradually peaking up and then decreases). | SELENOK, SELENOO, SELENOS, SELENON, and SELENOX upregulated |
Salivary glands | Spiked at unfed (SelO) and spiked at early feeding and later diminishes (SelS) while SelM cyclical. | eEFSec, SELENOM, SELENOK, SELENOS, TrxR, and GST upregulated | |
Ovarian tissues | nd | SELENOM and SELENOO upregulated | |
Knockdown of selenoproteins | ΔSelM | – | SG: depleted Rp, BL, and FLE |
ΔSelO | – | MG: depleted Rp, BL, and CMM | |
ΔSelS | – | MG: depleted BL, FLE SG: depleted CMM |