Ticked Off

Ticks enjoy a blood feast. Burrowing under the skin they begin to guzzle, only dropping off – sometimes weeks later – once their guts are full. Here researchers using a high-powered microscope to capture the mesh of muscle fibres (highlighted in yellow with blue nuclei) which swell in their bellies during a meal. The team discover that a specific gene, called TNT, helps the gut to grow – but only in ticks with a healthy supply of cellular energy or ATP. Removing TNT prevents mitochondrial fission – stopping the tiny ATP 'factories' from forming. With ATP production hampered, the tick’s guts shrivel, limiting its feeding capacity. Reducing the tick’s thirst for blood is a step towards reducing their annoying bites, while also warding off tick-borne diseases.

Written by John Ankers

John Ankers

Writer

A former researcher in systems biology, John is now an online biology tutor and professional coach supporting the wellbeing of scientists and NHS professionals. He's writing, too, of course.

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• Image from work by Zhengwei Zhong and Kun Wang and colleagues
• State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Department of Infectious Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
• Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
• Published in Cell Reports, April 2025