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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2023 Feb 9.
Published in final edited form as: Cell Rep. 2022 Nov 22;41(8):111673. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111673

Figure 3. The tick salivary protein IsC1ql3 modulates early infection of mice.

Figure 3.

(A) The B. burgdorferi burden in infected ticks after engorgement was comparable between ticks given ds GFP (control) or ds IsC1ql3. Each dot represents one biological replicate. Statistical significance was assessed using a non-parametric Mann-Whitney test (ns, p > 0.05).

(B) B. burgdorferi-infected nymphs microinjected with ds IsC1qI3 or ds GFP were fed on uninfected naive mice to assess transmission of the spirochete. The infection of B. burgdorferi in murine skin 7, 14, and 21 days after infection was determined. Silencing of the tick IsC1qI3 gene significantly decreased the B. burgdorferi burden in murine ear tissue at 7 days following the bite of infected ticks. Each dot represents one biological replicate. Statistical significance was assessed using a non-parametric Mann-Whitney test (*p < 0.05).

(C) Active immunization of mice with IsC1qI3 by injecting 10 μg of rIsC1qI3 protein or OVA (control) three times at 2-week intervals. The immunized mice were then challenged by B. burgdorferi-infected nymphs. The infection of B. burgdorferi in murine skin 7, 14, and 21 days after infection was determined. The antibody titers after the last dose and before tick challenge can be found in Figure S3.

(D) The engorgement weights of nymphs feeding on IsC1ql3-or OVA-immunized mice were comparable. Each dot represents one biological replicate.

(E) Active immunization with rIsC1ql3 protein significantly decreased the B. burgdorferi burden in murine ear tissue at 7 days after the bite of infected ticks. Each dot represents one biological replicate. Statistical significance was assessed using an unpaired t test (**p < 0.01; ns, p > 0.05).