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Table 1 Summary of results

From: The tick endosymbiont Candidatus Midichloria mitochondrii and selenoproteins are essential for the growth of Rickettsia parkeri in the Gulf Coast tick vector

 

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

  1. Knockdown of SELENOM or SELENOO or SELENOS by RNAi method. Nd: not determined across the blood meal
  2. MG midguts, SG salivary glands, Rp Rickettsia parkeri, CMM Candidatus Midichloria mitochondrii, FLE Francisella-like endosymbionts, ΔSelM or SelO or SelS