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2,*
* Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre AS CR, 
eské Bud
jovice, Czech Republic; and
Institute of Integrative Biology, Molecular Biomedicine, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich-Schlieren, Switzerland
Similarly to other blood-feeding arthropods, ticks have evolved immunosuppressive mechanisms enabling them to overcome the host immune system. Although the immunomodulatory effect of tick saliva on several cell populations of the immune system has been extensively studied, little is known about its impact on dendritic cells (DCs). We have examined the effect of Ixodes ricinus tick saliva on DC function in vitro and in vivo. Exposure of DCs to tick saliva in vitro resulted in impaired maturation, upon CD40 or TLR9, TLR3 and TLR7 ligation, as well as reduced Ag presentation capacity. Administration of tick saliva in vivo significantly inhibited maturation and early migration of DCs from inflamed skin to draining lymph nodes, and decreased the capacity of lymph node DCs to present soluble Ag to specific T cells. Moreover, saliva-exposed DCs failed to induce efficient Th1 and Th17 polarization and promoted development of Th2 responses. Our data reveal a complex inhibitory effect exerted by tick saliva on DC function. Given the role of DCs as the key instigators of adaptive immune responses, alteration of their function might represent a major mechanism of tick-mediated immune evasion.
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1 This work was supported by Grant 524/05/0811 from the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic, by the project of the Basic Research Centre LC06009 from the Czech Ministry of Education, and by the research project of Institute of Parasitology Z60220518.
2 Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Jan Kopeck, Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre AS CR, Branisovska 31, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic. E-mail address: jan{at}paru.cas.cz
3 Abbreviations used in this paper: SGE, salivary gland extract; DC, dendritic cell; LCMV, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus; CMFDA, 5-chloromethylfluorescein diacetate; DBP, dibutyl phthalate; BMDC, bone marrow-derived DC.
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