Endocrinology of tick development and reproduction

Akt is an essential player in regulating cell/organ growth at the adult stage in the hard tick Haemaphysalis longicornis

“…There are many investigations on ecdysteroids and associated endocrine events in ticks. Main functions of ecdysteroids in female ticks are the regulation of salivary gland activity, production of sex pheromones, and oogenesis and oviposition (Rees, 2008). Mao and Kaufman (1999) showed that the ecdysteroid titer in the hemolymph elevated after attachment to a host, peaked during the rapid phase of blood feeding, and then declined at engorgement.…”