Differential expression of genes in salivary glands of male Rhipicephalus (Boophilus)microplus in response to infection with Anaplasma marginale

Table 1 A. marginale infection levels in tick salivary glands after RNAi and tick mortality rates in dsRNA-injected R. microplus males.

Experimental group	Gene expression silencing (%) ± SD^a	*A. marginale* infection levels (% change with respect to controls)^b	Mortality rate^c
94Will	85.6 ± 16.9	29.4 ± 0.6 (-63%)	80%**
100Silk	89.8 ± 9.4	17.0 ± 1.1 (-79%)*	74.3%**
Subolesin (4D8)	82.7 ± 12.7	32.0 ± 1.6 (-60%)	68.6%**
Control	--	80.0 ± 1.9	57.1%

^aTotal RNA was extracted from infected tick salivary glands after RNAi and analyzed by real-time RT-PCR to determine gene expression silencing with respect to control ticks injected with the GIII dsRNA.
^bThe A. marginale infection levels were analyzed by msp4 PCR, expressed as msp4 copies per tick ± SD and compared between test and control ticks injected with the GIII dsRNA by Student's t test (*p < 0.05).
^cTick mortality was evaluated as the ratio of dead male ticks 7 days after dsRNA injection to the total number of the attached male ticks, and was compared between test and control ticks injected with the GIII dsRNA by χ²-test (**α < 0.025).

ISSN: 1471-2164