Transcriptome characterization of the hard tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus. R. sanguineus transcriptome

We performed a whole-transcriptome study, using Illumina MiSeq sequencing, starting from R. sanguineus larval RNA. Our aim was to obtain a careful characterization of all transcripts, as well as a comparative analysis with previously published transcriptomes of other tick species. Annotation was performed trying to keep the analysis as conservative as possible, while focusing on multiple specific features of interest. Special attention was given to transcripts putatively encoding for ATP-binding proteins, due to their importance as mechanisms of detoxification and acaricide resistance. Additionally, the presence of microsatellite loci was investigated, as these are one of the most used markers for population genetic studies.