Tick (Ixodes ricinus) salivary antigens by LC-MS/MS

Here, we challenged rabbits with repeated feeding of Ixodes ricinus adults and observed the formation of specific antibodies against several tick salivary proteins. To identify the salivary antigens, isolated immunoglobulins from repeatedly infested rabbits were utilised for a pull-down from the saliva of pilocarpine-treated ticks. Eluted antigens were separated on 1D SDS-PAGE and analysed by peptide mass fingerprinting. To increase the authenticity of immunogens identified, we also performed, for the first time, de novo assembly of the sialome from I. ricinus females fed for six days, a timepoint used for pilocarpine-salivation.