Glucose metabolomic profile during embryogenesis in the tick Rhipicephalus microplus

• Published in: Metabolomics 2021-09, Vol.17 (9), p.79-79, Article 79
• Main Authors: da Silva, Jhenifer Nascimento, Simas, Daniel Luiz Reis, Soares, Angelica Ribeiro, Duarte, Heitor Monteiro, Moraes, Jorge, Conceição, Christiano Calixto, da Silva, Renato Martins, da Silva Vaz, Itabajara, Logullo, Carlos
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Biochemistry; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cell Biology; Developmental Biology; Embryogenesis; Embryonic Development; Energy metabolism; Gluconeogenesis; Glucose; Glucose metabolism; Glycogen; Life Sciences; Mass spectroscopy; Metabolism; Metabolomics; Molecular Medicine; Nutrient utilization; Original Article; Rhipicephalus; Rhipicephalus microplus; Tick Infestations
• ISSN: 1573-3882; 1573-3890
• DOI: 10.1007/s11306-021-01830-2

Introduction Metabolomic approaches can assess the actual state of an organism’s energy metabolism during a specific morphological event, providing a more accurate insight into the correlations between physiology and metabolic regulation. Methods The study of the metabolomic profile aim to identify the largest possible number of biomolecules in a certain organism or specific structures. For this purpose, mass spectrometry (MS) and chromatography have been used in the present study. Objectives In this context, the aim of the present work is to evaluate the glucose metabolomic profile during embryogenesis in Rhipicephalus microplus tick, investigating the dynamics of nutrient utilization during tick embryo formation, as well as the control of glucose metabolism. Results We show that glycogen reserves are preferentially mobilized to sustain the energy-intensive process of embryogenesis. Subsequently, the increase in concentration of specific amino acids indicates that protein degradation would provide carbons to fuel gluconeogenesis, supplying the embryo with sufficient glucose and glycogen during development. Conclusion Altogether, these results demonstrated the presence of a very refined catabolic and anabolic control during embryogenesis in R. microplus tick, suggesting the pronounced gluconeogenesis as a strategy to secure embryo development. Moreover, this research contributes to the understanding of the mechanisms that control glucose metabolism during tick embryogenesis and may aid the identification of putative targets for novel chemical or immunological control methods, which are essential to improve the prevention of tick infestations.