{"doi":"10.1002/ps.7346","title":"Molecular characterization of hexokinase (<scp>HK</scp>) in <scp><i>Haemaphysalis longicornis</i></scp> and evaluation of <scp>HK</scp> protein‐ and <scp>DNA</scp>‐based vaccines against adult ticks","abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:sec><jats:title>Background</jats:title><jats:p><jats:italic>Haemaphysalis longicornis</jats:italic> is an obligate hematophagous ectoparasite, which transmits various pathogens to humans, livestock and wild animals. Hexokinase (HK) is a key regulatory enzyme of the glycolytic pathway in the organisms. However, little is known about hexokinase and its functions in ticks.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results</jats:title><jats:p>The open reading frame of the <jats:italic>H. longicornis HK</jats:italic> (<jats:italic>HlHK</jats:italic>) gene was 1425 bp and encoded a protein of 474 amino acids, containing conserved domains for glucose, glucose 6‐phosphate, and adenosine triphosphate. The expression of <jats:italic>HlHK</jats:italic> gene was detected at different developmental stages and in different tissues of unfed female ticks. Enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay revealed that both HK protein‐ and DNA‐based vaccines increased the antibody levels of the immunized animals. A vaccination trail on rabbits against <jats:italic>H. longicornis</jats:italic> infestation indicated that the rHlHK protein and <jats:italic>HlHK</jats:italic> DNA vaccines reduced the number of attached female ticks by 9% and 12%, egg mass weight by 36% and 34%, and egg hatching rate by 41% and 17%, respectively. Overall, protein vaccination conferred 65.6% protection against adult female ticks, whereas the DNA vaccine conferred 51.8% protection.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion</jats:title><jats:p>This is the first report of the molecular characterization of the HK protein and sequencing of the <jats:italic>HK</jats:italic> gene from <jats:italic>H. longicornis</jats:italic>. Positive results from vaccination trials on rabbits of the recombinant HK protein and <jats:italic>HK</jats:italic> DNA suggest that these novel anti‐tick vaccines potentially can be used as viable tick control tools for the management of the Asian longhorned tick. Additionally, inhibition of glucose metabolism may be a new strategy for tick control. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.</jats:p></jats:sec>","journal":"Pest Management Science","year":2023,"id":643325,"datarank":0.32958368660043297,"base_score":2.1972245773362196,"endowment":2.1972245773362196,"self_citation_contribution":0.32958368660043297,"citation_network_contribution":0.0,"self_endowment_contribution":0.32958368660043297,"citer_contribution":0.0,"corpus_percentile":null,"corpus_rank":null,"citation_count":8,"citer_count":0,"citers_with_citation_signal":0,"citers_with_endowment":0,"datacite_reuse_total":0,"is_dataset":false,"is_dataset_confidence":null,"is_data_producer":false,"deposit_databanks":null,"is_oa":false,"file_count":0,"downloads":0,"has_version_chain":false,"published_date":null,"fair_score":null,"fair_percentile":null,"algorithm_id":"datarank_citation_only_1hop_v6","ranking_scope":"data_only","authors":[{"id":1399029,"name":"Ru Li","orcid":"0009-0004-3360-5257","position":1,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1673790,"name":"Ya‐Xue Wu","orcid":null,"position":2,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1673791,"name":"Xiang‐Yuan Fan","orcid":null,"position":3,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1673792,"name":"Xiao‐Ya Liu","orcid":null,"position":4,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":60388,"name":"Feng Yang","orcid":"0000-0003-0769-5573","position":5,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1673793,"name":"Tian‐Tian Zhang","orcid":null,"position":6,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1673794,"name":"Jing‐Yi Ma","orcid":null,"position":7,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1673795,"name":"Yong‐Hong Hu","orcid":"0000-0002-1924-1002","position":8,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":771412,"name":"Duo Wang","orcid":"0000-0003-1435-4961","position":0,"is_corresponding":false}],"reference_count":0,"raw_metadata":{"has_enrichment":true,"resolved":true,"title":"Molecular characterization of hexokinase (<scp>HK</scp>) in <scp><i>Haemaphysalis longicornis</i></scp> and evaluation of <scp>HK</scp> protein‐ and <scp>DNA</scp>‐based vaccines against adult ticks","abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:sec><jats:title>Background</jats:title><jats:p><jats:italic>Haemaphysalis longicornis</jats:italic> is an obligate hematophagous ectoparasite, which transmits various pathogens to humans, livestock and wild animals. Hexokinase (HK) is a key regulatory enzyme of the glycolytic pathway in the organisms. However, little is known about hexokinase and its functions in ticks.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results</jats:title><jats:p>The open reading frame of the <jats:italic>H. longicornis HK</jats:italic> (<jats:italic>HlHK</jats:italic>) gene was 1425 bp and encoded a protein of 474 amino acids, containing conserved domains for glucose, glucose 6‐phosphate, and adenosine triphosphate. The expression of <jats:italic>HlHK</jats:italic> gene was detected at different developmental stages and in different tissues of unfed female ticks. Enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay revealed that both HK protein‐ and DNA‐based vaccines increased the antibody levels of the immunized animals. A vaccination trail on rabbits against <jats:italic>H. longicornis</jats:italic> infestation indicated that the rHlHK protein and <jats:italic>HlHK</jats:italic> DNA vaccines reduced the number of attached female ticks by 9% and 12%, egg mass weight by 36% and 34%, and egg hatching rate by 41% and 17%, respectively. Overall, protein vaccination conferred 65.6% protection against adult female ticks, whereas the DNA vaccine conferred 51.8% protection.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion</jats:title><jats:p>This is the first report of the molecular characterization of the HK protein and sequencing of the <jats:italic>HK</jats:italic> gene from <jats:italic>H. longicornis</jats:italic>. Positive results from vaccination trials on rabbits of the recombinant HK protein and <jats:italic>HK</jats:italic> DNA suggest that these novel anti‐tick vaccines potentially can be used as viable tick control tools for the management of the Asian longhorned tick. Additionally, inhibition of glucose metabolism may be a new strategy for tick control. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.</jats:p></jats:sec>","is_dataset_classified":null,"base_score":2.1972245773362196,"endowment":2.1972245773362196,"datacite_reuse_total":0,"file_count":0,"downloads":0,"views":0,"has_version_chain":false,"is_dataset":false,"is_oa":false,"pmid":"36606406","pmcid":null,"openalex_id":"https://openalex.org/W4313646747","authors":[],"funders":[{"funder_name":"Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province","grant_id":"C2020403051","title":null},{"funder_name":"Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province","grant_id":"C2021205010","title":null},{"funder_name":"Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province","grant_id":"C2022205025","title":null},{"funder_name":"Hebei Normal University","grant_id":"L2020Z06","title":null}],"total_grants":4,"fwci":1.9054,"citation_percentile":0.81872725,"influential_citations":0,"citation_trend":[{"year":2023,"count":3},{"year":2024,"count":4},{"year":2025,"count":1}],"oa_status":"bronze","license":"http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor","oa_locations":[{"url":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1002/ps.7346","host_type":"journal"},{"url":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1002/ps.7346","host_type":"publisher"},{"url":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ps.7346","host_type":"publisher"},{"url":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1002/ps.7346","host_type":"publisher"},{"url":"https://scijournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ps.7346","host_type":"publisher"},{"url":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.7346","host_type":"journal"},{"url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36606406","host_type":"repository"}],"fields_of_study":["Vector-borne infectious diseases","Amoebic Infections and Treatments","Trypanosoma species research and implications"],"mesh_terms":["Animals","Female","Hexokinase","Humans","Rabbits","Ticks","Vaccines, DNA","Ixodidae"],"keywords":["Haemaphysalis longicornis","Biology","Tick infestation","DNA vaccination","Tick","Microbiology","Gene","Recombinant DNA","Ixodidae","Molecular biology","Virology","Biochemistry","Hexokinase","DNA vaccine","Protein vaccine"],"sdg_mappings":[{"sdg_number":0,"sdg_label":"Industry, innovation and infrastructure"}],"linked_datasets":[],"clinical_trials":[],"software_tools":[],"database_accessions":[],"source":"live","citation_network_status":"fetched"},"created_at":"2026-08-08T15:33:47.095109Z","pmid":null,"pmcid":null,"fwci":null,"citation_percentile":null,"influential_citations":0,"oa_status":null,"license":null,"views":0,"total_file_size_bytes":0,"version_count":0,"fair_f":null,"fair_a":null,"fair_i":null,"fair_r":null,"fair_zscore":null,"fair_rationale":null,"fair_model":null,"fair_agent_version":null,"fair_fulltext_source":null,"fair_has_llm":null,"fair_computed_at":null,"clinical_trials":[],"software_tools":[],"db_accessions":[],"linked_datasets":[],"topics":[]}