How to translate text using browser tools
1 March 2007 Collection and Analysis of Salivary Proteins from the Biting Midge Culicoides nubeculosus (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae)
Kathrin F. A. Langner, Karin E. Darpel, Eric Denison, Barbara S. Drolet, Wolfgang Leibold, Philip S. Mellor, Peter P. C. Mertens, Manfred Nimtz, Irene Greiser-Wilke
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Salivary proteins of hematophagous Culicoides spp. are thought to play an important role in pathogen transmission and skin hypersensitivity. Analysis of these proteins, however, has been problematic due to the difficulty in obtaining adequate amounts of secreted Culicoides saliva. In the current study, a collection method for midge saliva was developed. Over a 3-d period, 3- to 5-d-old male and female Culicoides nubeculosus Meigen (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) were repeatedly placed onto the collection system and allowed to deposit saliva into a filter. Salivary products were eluted from the filters and evaluated by gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry as well as by intradermal testing and determination of clotting time. Gel electrophoresis revealed ≈55 protein spots displaying relative molecular masses from 5 to 67 kDa and isoelectric points ranging from 4.5 to 9.8. The majority of molecular species analyzed by mass spectrometry showed high convergence with salivary proteins recently obtained from a cDNA library of Culicoides sonorensis Wirth & Jones, including proteins involved in sugarmeal digestion, defense, and coagulation inhibition as well as members of the D7 family and unclassified salivary proteins. In addition, the proteome analysis revealed a number of peptides that were related to proteins from insect species other than Culicoides. Intradermal injection of the saliva in human skin produced edema, vasodilatation, and pruritus. The anticoagulant activity of the saliva was demonstrated by significantly prolonged clotting times for human platelets. The potential role of the identified salivary proteins in the transmission of pathogens and the induction of allergies is discussed.

Kathrin F. A. Langner, Karin E. Darpel, Eric Denison, Barbara S. Drolet, Wolfgang Leibold, Philip S. Mellor, Peter P. C. Mertens, Manfred Nimtz, and Irene Greiser-Wilke "Collection and Analysis of Salivary Proteins from the Biting Midge Culicoides nubeculosus (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae)," Journal of Medical Entomology 44(2), 238-248, (1 March 2007). https://doi.org/10.1603/0022-2585(2007)44[238:CAAOSP]2.0.CO;2
Received: 11 September 2006; Accepted: 18 December 2006; Published: 1 March 2007
JOURNAL ARTICLE
11 PAGES

This article is only available to subscribers.
It is not available for individual sale.
+ SAVE TO MY LIBRARY

KEYWORDS
coagulation inhibition
Culicoides nubeculosus
proteomics
saliva collection
vasodilatation
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission
Back to Top