Tjale, Mabotse A.Pretorius, AlriJosemans, AntoinetteVan Kleef, MirindaLiebenberg, Junita2017-11-032018-01Tjale, M.A., Pretorius, A., Josemans, A., Kleef, M.V. & Liebenberg, J. 2018, 'Transcriptomic analysis of Ehrlichia ruminantium during the developmental stages in bovine and tick cell culture', Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 126-134.1877-959X (print)1877-9603 (online)10.1016/j.ttbdis.2017.09.014http://hdl.handle.net/2263/62999The use of bioinformatics tools to search for possible vaccine candidates has been successful in recent years. In an attempt to search for additional vaccine candidates or improve the current heartwater vaccine design, a genome-wide transcriptional profile of E. ruminantium (Welgevonden strain) replicating in bovine endothelial cells (BA886) and Ixodes scapularis embryonic tick cells (IDE8) was performed. The RNA was collected from the infective extracellular form, the elementary bodies (EBs) and vegetative intracellular form, reticulate bodies (RBs) and was used for transcriptome sequencing. Several genes previously implicated with adhesion, attachment and pathogenicity were exclusively up-regulated in the EBs from bovine and tick cells. Similarly, genes involved in adaptation or survival of E. ruminantium in the host cells were up‐regulated in the RBs from bovine cells. Thus, it was concluded that those genes expressed in the EBs might be important for infection of mammalian and tick host cells and these may be targets for both cell and humoral mediated immune responses. Alternatively, those exclusively expressed in the RBs may be important for survival in the host cells. Exported or secreted proteins exclusively expressed at this stage are ideal targets for the stimulation of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) immune responses in the host.en© 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved. Notice : this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. A definitive version was subsequently published in Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 126-134, 2018. doi : 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2017.09.014.Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL)Ehrlichia ruminantiumTranscriptomeVaccine candidatesBovine endothelial cells (BA886)Ixodes scapularis embryonic tick cells (IDE8)Transcriptome sequencingReticulate bodies (RBs)Vegetative intracellular formInfective extracellular formElementary bodies (EBs)Veterinary science articles SDG-01Veterinary science articles SDG-02SDG-02: Zero hungerSDG-01: No povertyPostprint Article