pastoris. Direct quantification from culture supernatants revealed rRmLTI production levels of 550 mg L−1. Analysis of the nickel column purification product showed a protein of 46 kDa and the yield following purification was 870 mg L−1. Western blot analysis of the rRmLTI protein was carried out with primary sera from mice (anti-R. microplus larval extract and anti-rRmLTI) and anti-His tag monoclonal antibody revealing affinity for a protein of approximately 46 kDa ( Fig. 1). The antibody response of cattle immunized with the vaccine formulation containing rRmLTI is shown in Fig. 2. Antibody

levels against rRmLTI peaked around 31 days after the second booster immunization. Tick infestations were established around ten days before the apparent decline in the specific antibody response commenced. A transient effect on the average PLX4032 in vivo weight of engorged adult female ticks dropping off of vaccinated cattle was apparent through the ninth day of the collection period (Fig. 3). With the exception learn more of days 2 and 4, the average weight of engorged female ticks collected from the vaccinated group was significantly lower up to day nine (Fig. 3; p < 0.05). Equivalence of the average engorged adult female tick weight between groups beyond day 9 of the collection period was temporally associated with the aforementioned

decline in anti-rRmLTI antibody levels ( Fig. 2). A similar tendency was observed in the eclosion rate for eggs collected from ticks detaching from vaccinated cattle ( Fig. 4).

The cumulative count of engorged adult female ticks collected up to day 13 after detachment started was used to calculate the effects of vaccination with rRmLTI (Table 1). Vaccinated cattle had 30% less ticks detaching from them than the animals injected with adjuvant only. Although egg laying capacity was unaffected, there was a significant effect associated with vaccination on tick weight and larval hatchability (Table 1; p < 0.05). Overall, the rRmLTI vaccine afforded 32% immunoprotection against cattle tick infestation ( Table Thalidomide 1). The effect of the anti-rRmLTI antibody response on egg hatching was explored further ex vivo. An inverse dose-response was observed between egg hatching and the amount of IgG imbibed by the gravid tick ( Fig. 5). The viability of eggs laid by female ticks ingesting IgG antibodies from cattle vaccinated with rRmLTI was significantly compromised and hatching decreased 75.6% in eggs from ticks fed 100 μg of IgG (p < 0.05). A comparison of the DNA sequences from the EST CK186726 and the RmLTI clone optimized for codon usage in P. pastoris revealed 77% identity between the two sequences. The RmLTI DNA sequence in the yeast expression system was missing nineteen bases of the corresponding EST sequence (data not shown). Fig.