Effects of Electromagnetic Radiation on Neuropeptide Transcript Levels in the Synganglion of <i>Ixodes ricinus</i>
Lívia Šofranková,
Miroslav Baňas,
Natália Pipová,
Igor Majláth,
Juraj Kurimský,
Roman Cimbala,
Marek Pavlík,
Lourdes Mateos-Hernández,
Ladislav Šimo,
Viktória Majláthová
Affiliations
Lívia Šofranková
Department of Animal Physiology, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Šrobárova 2, 04180 Košice, Slovakia
Miroslav Baňas
Department of Animal Physiology, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Šrobárova 2, 04180 Košice, Slovakia
Natália Pipová
Department of Animal Physiology, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Šrobárova 2, 04180 Košice, Slovakia
Igor Majláth
Department of Animal Physiology, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Šrobárova 2, 04180 Košice, Slovakia
Juraj Kurimský
Department of Electrical Power Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engeneering and Informatics, Technical University of Košice, Mäsiarska 74, 04120 Košice, Slovakia
Roman Cimbala
Department of Electrical Power Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engeneering and Informatics, Technical University of Košice, Mäsiarska 74, 04120 Košice, Slovakia
Marek Pavlík
Department of Electrical Power Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engeneering and Informatics, Technical University of Košice, Mäsiarska 74, 04120 Košice, Slovakia
Lourdes Mateos-Hernández
Laboratoire de Santé Animale, Unitè Mixte de Recherche de Biologie Molèculaire et d’Immunologie Parasitaires (UMR BIPAR), Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort, INRAE, ANSES, F-94700 Maisons-Alfort, France
Ladislav Šimo
Laboratoire de Santé Animale, Unitè Mixte de Recherche de Biologie Molèculaire et d’Immunologie Parasitaires (UMR BIPAR), Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort, INRAE, ANSES, F-94700 Maisons-Alfort, France
Viktória Majláthová
Department of Animal Physiology, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Šrobárova 2, 04180 Košice, Slovakia
Anthropogenic electromagnetic radiation is an important environmental factor affecting the functionality of biological systems. Sensitivity to various frequencies of electromagnetic radiation has been detected in ixodid ticks in the past. However, the physiological aspects of radiation effects have not yet been studied in ticks. In the presented experiment, 360 Ixodes ricinus ticks, 180 males and 180 females, were divided into 16 irradiated and 8 control groups. The irradiated groups were exposed to two different intensities of electromagnetic radiation with a frequency of 900 MHz at different lengths of exposure time. RT-PCR was utilized to determine the changes in mRNA levels in tick synganglia after irradiation. Four randomly selected neuropeptide genes were tested—allatotropin (at), FGLa-related allatostatins (fgla/ast), kinin, and arginine-vasopressin-like peptide (avpl). A significant decrease in transcript levels in all female groups exposed to higher intensity radiofrequency radiation for 1 to 3 h was found. After one hour of radiofrequency exposure, a significant downregulation in allatotropin expression in males was detected. A consistent downregulation of the at gene was detected in males irradiated with at a higher intensity. Unfortunately, the specific functions of the studied neuropeptides in ticks are not known yet, so a more comprehensive study is necessary to describe the effects of EMF on observed neuropeptides. This study represents the first report on the effects of the abiotic environment on tick neurophysiology.
