Lesley Bell‐Sakyi

A near-complete chromosome from a bacterial pathogen integrated into the genome of its arthropod vector

The paper identifies an almost-complete Rickettsia africae chromosome in the genome of its arthropod vector, A. variegatum, demonstrating lateral gene transfer from the pathogen to the host.

Functional divergence of the NSs protein defines interferon antagonism and viral fitness across Bhanja virus lineages.

Host-derived lipids license proliferation of sterol-auxotrophic tick cells and promote flavivirus output

This study shows host-derived lipids are essential for tick cell proliferation and flavivirus output, revealing their role in regulating cellular state and viral production.

Transcriptomic profiling of embryo-derived cell lines from the Chagas disease insect vector Rhodnius prolixus

The paper characterizes the transcriptomes of two Rhodnius prolixus embryo-derived cell lines, identifying shared and distinct gene expression patterns that suggest different cell phenotypes.

Molecular dialogue between Orthonairovirus and tick: RNA-protein interactome of Hazara virus, a BSL2 model of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever virus, in Hyalomma cells

This study identifies RNA-protein interactions between Hazara virus and Hyalomma tick proteins using ChIRP-MS, revealing mitochondrial RNA-binding proteins involved in metabolic pathways.

Morphological and molecular characterisation of Orientia tsutsugamushi grown in tick cells

This study characterizes the morphology and molecular behavior of Orientia tsutsugamushi in tick cell lines, revealing distinct replication dynamics and protein expression patterns compared to mammalian cells.

SFTSV NSs protein is a novel tick antiviral RNAi response suppressor

This study shows that SFTSV NSs protein is essential for viral replication in tick cells by suppressing the tick's RNAi response through depletion of virus-derived siRNAs.

Uukuniemi virus infection causes a pervasive remodelling of the RNA-binding proteome in tick cell cultures

This study identifies 283 RNA-binding proteins whose activity changes in tick cells infected with Uukuniemi virus, revealing new host-virus interactions and a method to silence gene expression in tick cultures.

Metagenomics of culture isolates and insect tissue illuminate the evolution of Wolbachia, Rickettsia and Bartonella symbionts in Ctenocephalides spp. fleas

The paper presents genome assemblies of bacterial pathogens and endosymbionts from Ctenocephalides fleas using metagenomics and culture isolation, revealing genomic diversity and features associated with host interactions.

First isolation and characterisation of Alongshan virus in Russia

The paper isolates and characterizes three strains of Alongshan virus from Russian ticks, identifies novel genomic features, and confirms the utility of tick cell lines for virus maintenance.