Dr. Deborah Jaworski, Assistant Professor

B.S., Ohio State University, 1980 M.S., Oklahoma State University, 1982 Ph.D., Ohio State University, 1991 deborah.jaworski@okstate.edu

Links:

OSU Tick Researchers

Teaching:

Current Research:

Our long-term goal is to exploit the tick-host interaction at the point of early feeding to develop effective vaccine strategies against vector ticks, and consequently the tick-borne infections they transmit. Our ultimate goal is development of multi-subunit recombinant vaccines for tick-borne disease. Our strategy will be to vaccinate host populations with unique tick-specific antigens for the purpose of reducing the tick vectorial capacity and/or basic reproduction rate. Our hypothesis exploits the tick's requirement for a blood meal in each life stage with the exception of the eggs to larva transformation. Currently, we are developing tick feeding models through which we can evaluate peptides, proteins and DNA molecules for vaccination against ticks where the endpoints include disturbance of tick feeding and/or inhibition of pathogen transmission.

Our general approach is to identify and characterize targets proteins that are involved in tick feeding. These might be "hidden antigens" or "silent antigens". Hidden antigens are not secreted during feeding, while silent antigens are secreted but not recognized by the host immune system. The midgut is the first line of defense against host immune responses. The tick "tastes" the host within the midgut and midgut cells. The midgut provides information to the tick about the composition of the host blood. Blood meal factors initiate many cellular responses in the tick, including continued salivary gland secretion and vitellogenesis.

Selected Publications:

1. Jaworski, D.C., D.M. Barker, J.P. Williams, J.R. Sauer, C.L. Ownby and J.A. Hair. 1983. Age-related changes in midgut ultrastructure and surface tegument of unfed adult lone star ticks. J. Parasitol. 69 (4) 701-708.

2. Jaworski, D.C., J.R. Sauer, J.P. Williams, R.W. McNew and J.A. Hair. 1984. Age-related effects on water, lipid, hemoglobin, and critical equilibrium humidity in unfed adult lone star ticks (Acari: Ixodidae). J. Med. Entomol. 21 (1) 100-104.

3. Needham, G.R., D.C. Jaworski, N. Sherif, F.A. Simmen and M.T. Muller. 1989. Characterization of Ixodid tick salivary-gland gene products using recombinant DNA technology. Experimental and Appl. Acarology 7: 21-32.

4. Jaworski, D.C., M.T. Muller, F.A. Simmen and G. R. Needham. 1990. Amblyomma americanum: Identification of tick salivary gland antigens from unfed and early feeding females with comparisons to Ixodes dammini and Dermacentor variabilis. Experimental Parasitol. 70:217-226.

5. Jaworski, D.C., R. Rosell, L.B. Coons and G.R. Needham. 1992. Tick (Acari: Ixodidae) attachment cement and salivary gland cells contain similar immunoreactive polypeptides. J. Med. Entomol. 29:305-309.

6. Jaworski, D.C., F.A. Simmen, W. Lamoreaux, L.B. Coons, M.T. Muller and G.R. Needham. 1995. A secreted calreticulin protein in ixodid tick saliva. J. Ins. Physiol. 41, 369-375.

7. Jaworski, D.C., J.A. Higgins, S. Radulovic, Jefferson A. Vaughan and A. F. Azad. 1996. Presence of Calreticulin in Vector Fleas (Siphonaptera). J. Med. Entomol. 33, 482-489.

8. Needham, G.R., D.C. Jaworski, C.-P. Chen and R.E. Lee, Jr. 1996. Cold hardiness in a laboratory reared colony of Lone Star ticks (Acari: Ixodidae). J. Med. Entomol. 33, 706-710.

9. Sanders, M.L., D.C. Jaworski, J.L. Sanchez, R.F. DeFraites, A.L. Scott, G.E. Glass, S. Raha, B. Ritchie, G.R. Needham and B.S. Schwartz. 1998. Antibody to a cDNA-derived calreticulin protein from Amblyomma americanum is a biomarker of tick exposure in humans. Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg. 59, 279-285.

10. Sanders, M.L., G.E. Glass, R.B. Nadelman, G.P. Wormser, , A.L. Scott, S. Raha, B. Ritchie, D.C. Jaworski and B.S. Schwartz. 1999. Antibody levels to recombinant tick calreticulin increase in humans after exposure to Ixodes scapularis (Say) and are correlated with tick engorgement indices. Am. J. of Epidemiology 149:777-784.

11. Jasinskas, A., D.C. Jaworski and A.G. Barbour. 2000. Amblyomma americanum: Specific uptake of immunoglobulins into tick hemolymph during feeding. Experimental Parasitology, 96:213-221.

12. Jaworski, D.C., A. Jasinskas, C.N. Metz, R. Bucala and A.G. Barbour. 2001. Identification and functional characterization of a homologue of the proinflammatory cytokine Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor in the tick vector, Amblyomma americanum. Insect Molecular Biology, Aug;10(4):323-331.

13. Jaworski, D.C. 2003. 'Tick talk': Current view on protein release from tick salivary cells. Trends in Parasitology, 19:427-429.

14. Jaworski, D.C., C.J. Bowen and N.B. Wasala. Submitted. Amblyomma americanum (L): Tick Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor Peptide immunization lengthens lone star tick feeding intervals in vivo.

15. Bowen, C.J., D.C. Jaworski and N.B. Wasala. In preparation. Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor (MIF) expression in Amblyomma americanum (L.).

16. Wasala, N.B., D.C. Jaworski, B. Kastl and C.J. Bowen. In preparation. Gene silencing of Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor (MIF) and its effect on blood meal acquisition in American dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis and the Brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus.

Invited Chapters:

Jaworski, D.C. 2005. Gene Expression in Acarines. In: The Biology of Disease Vectors, 2nd Ed. Beatty, B.J. and Marquardt, W.C. Eds. Elsevier Academic Press. pp. 587-599.

Jaworski, D.C. and G.R. Needham. 1996. Calreticulin in Vector Arthropods--The Secreted Calreticulin. In: Calreticulin ed. M. Michalak pp. 171-182. R.G. Landes Company, Austin, TX.