A long-standing collaboration with Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH, UK) has led to the identification of an activity in salivary gland extracts of the tick Rhipicephalus appendiculatus that profoundly modulates the responses of human monocyte-DC towards extrinsic stimuli. The gene for this molecule, which we have termed Japanin, has been cloned and recombinant protein has been generated. This material inhibits the up-regulation of costimulatory molecules in response to certain TLR agonists, and some cytokines but not others, and modulates the function of...

We have identified some genes differentially expressed in different stimulation conditions. In particular, the most relevant gene upregulated in presence of stimuli typically inducing Th1 responses (LPS, CpG, Poly I:C) but not in presence of the Th2 stimulus, Pam3Cys, was Stat-1.