Lucas Tirloni, Ph.D.

Tick-Pathogen Transmission Unit

Hamilton, MT

Lucas Tirloni, Ph.D.

Chief, Tick-Pathogen Transmission Unit
Tenure-Track Investigator

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Photo of Lucas Tirloni, Ph.D.

Program Description

Human vector-borne diseases in the United States are primarily tick-borne. These diseases have rapidly become a serious and growing threat to public health. As blood-feeding arthropods, ticks salivate while puncturing host skin in search of blood. Tick saliva contains compounds with anticoagulant, vasodilatory, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory functions. While aiding the tick in feeding, tick saliva also modifies the site where pathogens are injected, often facilitating the infection process.

The time required for ticks to transmit pathogens varies depending on the pathogen. For Lyme disease, ticks generally need to be attached for at least 36 – 48 hours before Borrelia burgdorferi transmission occurs. Similarly, Anaplasma phagocytophilum (anaplasmosis) and Borrelia miyamotoi (relapsing fever) transmission likely require more than 24 hours. Babesia microti (the causative agent of babesiosis) is also unlikely to be transmitted within the first 36 hours of tick attachment. Therefore, removing an infected tick within 24 hours significantly reduces the risk of contracting these tick-borne pathogens. Understanding the mechanisms that govern the early stages of tick feeding is crucial for tick biology research. Disrupting these processes offers potential strategies for controlling tick feeding and pathogen transmission.

Studies characterizing molecular and cellular signaling pathways in tick salivary glands and midguts may help us understand the factors necessary for successful blood meal acquisition and vector competence. Insights gained from these pathways could reveal new molecular targets for controlling ticks and preventing the transmission of tick-borne pathogens. Additionally, studies investigating the roles of skin-derived proteases and the impact of tick salivary proteins on wound healing are of significant interest. Tick-borne diseases typically begin in the skin after a tick inoculates the pathogen into the host. However, there is limited information on the early skin response to wound healing following a tick bite, as well as the physiological roles of skin-derived proteases and their influence on tick feeding, pathogen establishment, and disease progression.

Biography

Education

Ph.D., Cellular and Molecular Biology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
M.Sc., Cellular and Molecular Biology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
B.Sc., Biomedical Science, Universidade de Cruz Alta, Brazil

Languages Spoken

Portuguese

Dr. Tirloni was born and raised in Brazil. He received his B.Sc. in biomedical science from Universidade de Cruz Alta, Cruz Alta, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, in 2009. He then earned his M.Sc. (2012) and Ph.D. in cellular and molecular biology (2015) from Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

His M.Sc. dissertation research, conducted in the laboratory of Dr. Carlos Termignoni, investigated serpins from the cattle tick Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus. His Ph.D. thesis research, co-advised by Dr. Termignoni and Dr. Itabajara da Silva Vaz Jr., utilized a proteomics approach to investigate proteins involved in tick-host interactions.

Dr. Tirloni spent one year of his Ph.D. training at Texas A&M University (College Station, TX) in the department of entomology with Dr. Albert Mulenga. He continued his research on tick salivary proteins during postdoctoral training, which included one year at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, two years in the department of veterinary pathobiology at Texas A&M University, and two additional years in the Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research with Dr. José Ribeiro (DIR, NIAID, Rockville, MD).

In 2020, Dr. Tirloni became a tenure-track investigator in the NIAID Laboratory of Bacteriology, where he leads the Tick-Pathogen Transmission Unit. His research focuses on studying tick-feeding biology to understand how salivary gland and midgut proteins impact blood feeding and facilitate the establishment, replication, and transmission of pathogens.

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Selected Publications

de Sousa-Paula LC, Berger M, Talyuli OAC, Schwartz CL, Saturday GA, Ribeiro JMC, Tirloni L. Exploring the transcriptome of immature stages of Ornithodoros hermsi, the soft-tick vector of tick-borne relapsing fever. Sci Rep. 2024 May 30;14(1):12466. 

Berger M, Rosa da Mata S, Pizzolatti NM, Parizi LF, Konnai S, da Silva Vaz I Jr, Seixas A, Tirloni L. An Ixodes persulcatus Inhibitor of Plasmin and Thrombin Hinders Keratinocyte Migration, Blood Coagulation, and Endothelial Permeability. J Invest Dermatol. 2024 May;144(5):1112-1123.e7. 

Lu S, Martins LA, Kotál J, Ribeiro JMC, Tirloni L. A longitudinal transcriptomic analysis from unfed to post-engorgement midguts of adult female Ixodes scapularis. Sci Rep. 2023 Jul 13;13(1):11360.

Tirloni L, Lu S, Calvo E, Sabadin G, Di Maggio LS, Suzuki M, Nardone G, da Silva Vaz I Jr, Ribeiro JMC. Integrated analysis of sialotranscriptome and sialoproteome of the brown dog tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus (s.l.): Insights into gene expression during blood feeding. J Proteomics. 2020 Oct 30;229:103899. 

Visit PubMed for a complete publication list.

Research Group

The overall research objectives of the Tick-Pathogen Transmission Unit (TPTU) focus on studying tick- feeding biology to understand how salivary gland and midgut proteins impact blood feeding and facilitate the establishment, replication, and transmission of pathogens. Our goal is to identify molecular pathways that can be used as targets for the development of effective anti-tick and/or pathogen…

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