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1.
Sci Rep ; 14(1): 13818, 2024 06 15.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38879638

RESUMO

The hematophagous common bed bug, Cimex lectularius, is not known to transmit human pathogens outside laboratory settings, having evolved various immune defense mechanisms including the expression of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). We unveil three novel prolixicin AMPs in bed bugs, exhibiting strong homology to the prolixicin of kissing bugs, Rhodnius prolixus, and to diptericin/attacin AMPs. We demonstrate for the first time sex-specific and immune mode-specific upregulation of these prolixicins in immune organs, the midgut and rest of body, following injection and ingestion of Gr+ (Bacillus subtilis) and Gr- (Escherichia coli) bacteria. Synthetic CL-prolixicin2 significantly inhibited growth of E. coli strains and killed or impeded Trypanosoma cruzi, the Chagas disease agent. Our findings suggest that prolixicins are regulated by both IMD and Toll immune pathways, supporting cross-talk and blurred functional differentiation between major immune pathways. The efficacy of CL-prolixicin2 against T. cruzi underscores the potential of AMPs in Chagas disease management.


Assuntos
Percevejos-de-Cama , Escherichia coli , Trypanosoma cruzi , Animais , Trypanosoma cruzi/efeitos dos fármacos , Percevejos-de-Cama/microbiologia , Percevejos-de-Cama/efeitos dos fármacos , Escherichia coli/efeitos dos fármacos , Bacillus subtilis/metabolismo , Bacillus subtilis/efeitos dos fármacos , Feminino , Peptídeos Antimicrobianos/farmacologia , Peptídeos Antimicrobianos/metabolismo , Masculino , Doença de Chagas/parasitologia , Proteínas de Insetos/metabolismo , Sequência de Aminoácidos
2.
Front Immunol ; 15: 1384193, 2024.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38694504

RESUMO

The common bed bug, Cimex lectularius, is an urban pest of global health significance, severely affecting the physical and mental health of humans. In contrast to most other blood-feeding arthropods, bed bugs are not major vectors of pathogens, but the underlying mechanisms for this phenomenon are largely unexplored. Here, we present the first transcriptomics study of bed bugs in response to immune challenges. To study transcriptional variations in bed bugs following ingestion of bacteria, we extracted and processed mRNA from body tissues of adult male bed bugs after ingestion of sterile blood or blood containing the Gram-positive (Gr+) bacterium Bacillus subtilis or the Gram-negative (Gr-) bacterium Escherichia coli. We analyzed mRNA from the bed bugs' midgut (the primary tissue involved in blood ingestion) and from the rest of their bodies (RoB; body minus head and midgut tissues). We show that the midgut exhibits a stronger immune response to ingestion of bacteria than the RoB, as indicated by the expression of genes encoding antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Both the Toll and Imd signaling pathways, associated with immune responses, were highly activated by the ingestion of bacteria. Bacterial infection in bed bugs further provides evidence for metabolic reconfiguration and resource allocation in the bed bugs' midgut and RoB to promote production of AMPs. Our data suggest that infection with particular pathogens in bed bugs may be associated with altered metabolic pathways within the midgut and RoB that favors immune responses. We further show that multiple established cellular immune responses are preserved and are activated by the presence of specific pathogens. Our study provides a greater understanding of nuances in the immune responses of bed bugs towards pathogens that ultimately might contribute to novel bed bug control tactics.


Assuntos
Percevejos-de-Cama , Perfilação da Expressão Gênica , Transcriptoma , Animais , Percevejos-de-Cama/imunologia , Percevejos-de-Cama/genética , Masculino , Escherichia coli/imunologia , Bacillus subtilis/imunologia , Bacillus subtilis/genética , Transdução de Sinais/imunologia , Peptídeos Antimicrobianos/genética , Peptídeos Antimicrobianos/imunologia
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