Advancements in the research of tick cysteine protease inhibitors
Author of the article:ZHANG Song-Bo, GAO Zhi-Hua, YANG Xiao-Long
Author's Workplace:Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Hebei Province, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, China
Key Words:ticks; functional molecules; cysteine protease inhibitors; immunological regulation; control
Abstract:
Abstract Cysteine protease inhibitors are a class of inhibitory functional molecules that reversibly bind to papain-like cysteine proteases and exert additive or synergistic interactions in the inhibition of host homeostatic responses. Ticks are an exclusively hematophagous ectoparasite with a worldwide distribution and pose a serious threat to human health, livestock production, and wildlife survival. Since cystatins were first identified in Amblyomma americanum in 2005, the physiological mechanisms and functions these proteins play in different tick species have been extensively studied. This paper reviews the classification, structure, and function of cystatins and summarizes the molecular mechanisms and potential application value of their immunomodulation in tick blood-sucking adaptation, innate immunity and parasitism stages. It also discusses the challenges with the aim of expanding research ideas in this field.