Molecular Characterization of Octopamine/Tyramine Receptor Gene of Amitraz-Resistant Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) decoloratus Ticks from Uganda

Abstract

We previously reported the emergence of amitraz-resistant Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) decoloratus ticks in the western region of Uganda. This study characterized the octopamine/tyramine receptor gene (OCT/Tyr) of amitraz-resistant and -susceptible R. (B.) decoloratus ticks from four regions of Uganda. The OCT/Tyr gene was amplified from genomic DNA of 17 R. (B.) decoloratus larval populations of known susceptibility to amitraz. The amplicons were purified, cloned and sequenced to determine mutations in the partial coding region of the OCT/Tyr gene. The amplified R. (B.) decoloratus OCT/Tyr gene was 91–100% identical to the R. (B.) microplus OCT/Tyr gene. Up to 24 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were found in the OCT/Tyr gene from ticks obtained from high acaricide pressure areas, compared to 8 from the low acaricide pressure areas. A total of eight amino acid mutations were recorded in the partial OCT/Tyr gene from ticks from the western region, and four of them were associated with amitraz-resistant tick populations. The amino acid mutations M1G, L16F, D41G and V72A were associated with phenotypic resistance to amitraz with no specific pattern. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the OCT/Tyr gene sequence from this study clustered into two distinct groups that separated the genotype from high acaricide pressure areas from the susceptible populations. In conclusion, this study is the first to characterize the R. (B.) decoloratus OCT/Tyr receptor gene and reports four novel amino acid mutations associated with phenotypic amitraz resistance in Uganda. However, lack of mutations in the ORF of the OCT/Tyr gene fragment for some of the amitraz-resistant R. (B.) decoloratus ticks could suggest that other mechanisms of resistance may be responsible for amitraz resistance, hence the need for further investigation.