Molecular Biology Commons^™

Investigating The Involvement Of The Tick Vector In The Induction Of Alpha-Galactose Hypersensitivity (Alpha-Gal Syndrome, Red Meat Allergy) In The United States., Gary Crispell

Dissertations

Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS or sometimes called red meat allergy) is a result of the development of specific IgE antibodies to the oligosaccharide galactose-α-1,3-galactose (α-gal) after a person has had exposure to tick bites. This dissertation investigates four common tick species found in North America: the lone-star tick (Amblyomma americanum), the Gulf-Coast tick (Amblyomma maculatum), the American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis), and the black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis) for the presence of α-gal by utilizing a combination of immunoproteomic approaches and carbohydrate analysis techniques.

Anti-α-gal IgM antibodies (M86) were used in immunoblotting to detect …

Molecular Characterization Of Galectin From Amblyomma Americanum In Context Of Α-Gal Syndrome, Sumar Beauti

Honors Theses

The lone star tick Amblyomma americanum is a vector of various disease-causing pathogens and tick-borne alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) with rapidly expanding populations in the south- and northeast regions of the United States. This study aimed to molecularly characterize galectin and determine its involvement in galactose-α-1,3-galactose (α-gal) synthesis, transport, reproductive fitness, and microbial homeostasis in this tick. The lone star tick galectin possesses two conserved carbohydrate recognition domains and shares homology with other Ixodid tick galectins. Time and tissue-dependent expression data shows that galectin is constantly expressed in salivary glands, midgut, and ovary tissues. An RNA interference approach was used to …