Tick–pathogen interactions: the metabolic perspective

The first tick genome published in 2016 provided an invaluable tool for studying the molecular basis of tick–pathogen interactions. Metabolism is a key element in host–pathogen interactions. However, our knowledge of tick–pathogen metabolic interactions is very limited. Recently, a systems biology approach, using omics datasets, has revealed that tick-borne pathogen infection induces transcriptional reprograming affecting several metabolic pathways in ticks, facilitating infection, multiplication, and transmission. Results suggest that the response of tick cells to tick-borne pathogens is associated with tolerance to infection. Here we review our current understanding of the modulation of tick metabolism by tick-borne pathogens, with a focus on the model intracellular bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum.PA was funded by the Junta de Comunidades of Castilla-La Mancha (Spain).Peer reviewe