Croquemort elicits activation of the immune deficiency pathway in ticks

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2023 May 16;120(20):e2208673120. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2208673120. Epub 2023 May 8.

Abstract

The immune deficiency (IMD) pathway directs host defense in arthropods upon bacterial infection. In Pancrustacea, peptidoglycan recognition proteins sense microbial moieties and initiate nuclear factor-κB-driven immune responses. Proteins that elicit the IMD pathway in non-insect arthropods remain elusive. Here, we show that an Ixodes scapularis homolog of croquemort (Crq), a CD36-like protein, promotes activation of the tick IMD pathway. Crq exhibits plasma membrane localization and binds the lipid agonist 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoglycerol. Crq regulates the IMD and jun N-terminal kinase signaling cascades and limits the acquisition of the Lyme disease spirochete B. burgdorferi. Additionally, nymphs silenced for crq display impaired feeding and delayed molting to adulthood due to a deficiency in ecdysteroid synthesis. Collectively, we establish a distinct mechanism for arthropod immunity outside of insects and crustaceans.

Keywords: arthropod immunology; entomology; ticks.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Arthropods*
  • Bacterial Infections*
  • Borrelia burgdorferi* / genetics
  • Ixodes* / microbiology
  • Lyme Disease* / microbiology
  • NF-kappa B

Substances

  • NF-kappa B