{
  "abstract": "Ticks, like Ixodes scapularis, can parasitize a diverse array of vertebrates, favoring natural hosts but feeding opportunistically on others. Natural hosts, as well as permissive hosts such as laboratory mice, tolerate repeated infestations, while many incidental hosts may acquire anti-tick immunity, as first described in guinea pigs. We show that tick-immune guinea pigs display altered dermal cytology and a distinct transcriptome, predominantly upregulating the IL36γ cytokine. Interference with IL36γ signaling, via gene knockdown, chemical inhibition, or its natural antagonist IL36RN, reversed anti-tick immunity in guinea pigs. Conversely, genome engineering to silence IL36RN in C3H mice, representing a permissive host, disrupted tick engorgement, interfering with the transmission of Lyme disease pathogens. These findings firmly establish IL36γ as a central mediator of protective anti-tick immunity involving I. scapularis in mammalian hosts and support future strategies to interfere with tick-transmitted infections.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20740",
    "Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences (CIC bioGUNE)-Basque Research & Technology Alliance, Derio 48160, Bizkaia, Spain",
    "Neiker- Basque Research & Technology Alliance, Derio 48160, Bizkaia, Spain",
    "Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409",
    "Department of Environmental Health Science, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602",
    "Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602",
    "School of Medicine, Department of Pathology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20814",
    "Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao 48011, Bizkaia, Spain",
    "Department of Biological Sciences and Louisiana State University Museum of Natural Science, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70802",
    "Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, College Park, MD 20740"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 21,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Chrysoula Kitsou"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Vipin Singh Rana"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Min Zhang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Bibek Bhattachan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Preeti Singh",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-2483-6622"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Kamoltip Promnares"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Kruthi Vavilikolanu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Shraboni Dutta"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Shelby D. Foor"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Sandhya Bista"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Sarai Araujo-Aris"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Xuran Zhuang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Alexis A. Smith"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Ana M. Aransay"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "José Luis Lavín"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "David Ray"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4,
        5
      ],
      "name": "Travis C. Glenn",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-7725-3637"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "John Stephen Dumler"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        7
      ],
      "name": "Juan Anguita",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-2061-7182"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        8
      ],
      "name": "Brant C. Faircloth",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-1943-0217"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        9
      ],
      "name": "Utpal Pal",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-7504-4628"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/009ye4bqvsyke.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1073/pnas.2630481123",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13715787/",
  "id": "009ye4bqvsyke",
  "issns": [
    "0027-8424",
    "1091-6490"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2630481123",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "420"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Biological Sciences"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Immunology and Inflammation"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2405|Vector-borne infectious diseases"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223125140",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": "PMC13715787",
  "pmid": "42905553",
  "published": "2026-10-21",
  "publisher": "National Academy of Sciences",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/009ye4bqvsyke.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-01T12:22:59Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13715787",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2630481123"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "openalex:2405|Vector-borne infectious diseases",
      "subfield": "microbiology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "IL36γ signaling promotes mammalian anti-tick immunity",
  "title_text": "IL36γ signaling promotes mammalian anti-tick immunity",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-01T12:22:59Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/009ye4bqvsyke",
  "venue": "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America",
  "versions": []
}