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Pathogens
Volume 14
Issue 6
10.3390/pathogens14060595
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Article

Insights into the Regulatory Roles of miRNAs in the Salivary Glands of the Soft Ticks Ornithodoros moubata and Ornithodoros erraticus

by
Ana Laura Cano-Argüelles
1,*,
Ricardo Pérez-Sánchez
1,
Cristian Gallardo-Escárate
2,
Rocío Vizcaíno-Marín
1,
María González-Sánchez
1 and
Ana Oleaga
1,*
1
Parasitología Animal, Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Salamanca, (IRNASA-CSIC), Cordel de Merinas, 40-52, 37008 Salamanca, Spain
2
Laboratory of Biotechnology and Aquatic Genomics, Department of Oceanography, University of Concepcion, Concepcion 4030000, Chile
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Pathogens 2025, 14(6), 595; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14060595
Submission received: 13 May 2025 / Revised: 5 June 2025 / Accepted: 13 June 2025 / Published: 17 June 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Ticks)
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Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression by inhibiting or degrading messenger RNAs (mRNAs). In ticks, salivary miRNAs are proposed to play key roles in modulating host–vector interactions during blood feeding. Previously, we identified salivary miRNAs in Ornithodoros moubata and Ornithodoros erraticus, major vectors of African swine fever and tick-borne human relapsing fever. In this study, we investigated the regulatory roles of salivary miRNAs in tick biology. Salivary miRNA datasets were re-analysed to identify conserved miRNAs, and putative target genes were predicted using the sialotranscriptomes of both species. In silico predictions were validated through experimental inhibition of specific miRNAs using antagomirs. Knockdown of miR-375 and miR-1 significantly reduced blood intake, oviposition, and fertility, indicating their involvement in feeding and reproductive processes. Silencing miR-252b in O. moubata led to increased mortality, suggesting a critical role in survival. Notably, Metis1 was identified as a likely target of miR-252b, and its dysregulation may underlie the observed lethality in miR-252b-silenced ticks. These findings highlight the functional relevance of salivary miRNAs in tick physiology and host interaction, offering new perspectives for the development of innovative tick control strategies.
Keywords: Ornithodoros moubata; Ornithodoros erraticus; microRNA; antagomir; salivary glands Ornithodoros moubata; Ornithodoros erraticus; microRNA; antagomir; salivary glands
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MDPI and ACS Style

Cano-Argüelles, A.L.; Pérez-Sánchez, R.; Gallardo-Escárate, C.; Vizcaíno-Marín, R.; González-Sánchez, M.; Oleaga, A. Insights into the Regulatory Roles of miRNAs in the Salivary Glands of the Soft Ticks Ornithodoros moubata and Ornithodoros erraticus. Pathogens 2025, 14, 595. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14060595

AMA Style

Cano-Argüelles AL, Pérez-Sánchez R, Gallardo-Escárate C, Vizcaíno-Marín R, González-Sánchez M, Oleaga A. Insights into the Regulatory Roles of miRNAs in the Salivary Glands of the Soft Ticks Ornithodoros moubata and Ornithodoros erraticus. Pathogens. 2025; 14(6):595. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14060595

Chicago/Turabian Style

Cano-Argüelles, Ana Laura, Ricardo Pérez-Sánchez, Cristian Gallardo-Escárate, Rocío Vizcaíno-Marín, María González-Sánchez, and Ana Oleaga. 2025. "Insights into the Regulatory Roles of miRNAs in the Salivary Glands of the Soft Ticks Ornithodoros moubata and Ornithodoros erraticus" Pathogens 14, no. 6: 595. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14060595

APA Style

Cano-Argüelles, A. L., Pérez-Sánchez, R., Gallardo-Escárate, C., Vizcaíno-Marín, R., González-Sánchez, M., & Oleaga, A. (2025). Insights into the Regulatory Roles of miRNAs in the Salivary Glands of the Soft Ticks Ornithodoros moubata and Ornithodoros erraticus. Pathogens, 14(6), 595. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14060595

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