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Adv."],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,27]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Ticks transmit a wide range of pathogens to humans. During blood feeding, they inject salivary proteins that suppress host immune responses, enabling prolonged feeding and pathogen transmission. A hallmark of this process is the dynamic reprogramming of salivary gene expression, known as the sialome switch. Here, we describe a previously unrecognized cellular mechanism underlying this phenomenon in two medically important tick species. Using integrated multi-omics and imaging approaches, we identified a conserved population of undifferentiated salivary gland precursor cells in unfed ticks. Upon host attachment, these precursors undergo terminal differentiation into specialized secretory subtypes through a conserved transcriptional and signaling framework that drives salivary gland activation and maturation. Unlike other blood-feeding arthropods, tick salivary glands dynamically remodel in response to host contact, producing saliva with a shifting composition. This study suggests the cellular basis of adult female tick salivary gland maturation and offers targets to disrupt feeding and pathogen transmission.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1126\/sciadv.aec7620","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,25]],"date-time":"2026-03-25T18:00:16Z","timestamp":1774461616000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.34133\/aaas_crossmark","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Blood feeding triggers the terminal differentiation of precursor cells in tick salivary glands"],"prefix":"10.1126","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1445-7912","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Sazzad","family":"Mahmood","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Tick-Pathogen Transmission Unit, Laboratory of Bacteriology, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Hamilton, MT, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Stephen","family":"Lu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Tick-Pathogen Transmission Unit, Laboratory of Bacteriology, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Hamilton, MT, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9913-3775","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Ana Beatriz","family":"Barletta Ferreira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Mosquito Immunity and Vector Competence Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Rockville, MD, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7670-2584","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Markus","family":"Berger","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Tick-Pathogen Transmission Unit, Laboratory of Bacteriology, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Hamilton, MT, USA."},{"name":"Centro de Pesquisa Experimental, Hospital de Cl\u00ednicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Oladele A.","family":"Oluwayiose","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Integrated Data Sciences Section, Research Technologies Branch, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, MD, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-0040-9546","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Christine A.","family":"Schneider","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Electron Microscopy Unit, Research Technologies Branch, Division of Intramural Research National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Hamilton, MT, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8040-7422","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Jacqueline M.","family":"Leung","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Electron Microscopy Unit, Research Technologies Branch, Division of Intramural Research National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Hamilton, MT, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Melina","family":"Garcia Guizzo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Vector Biology Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Rockville, MD, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3422-8436","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Yixiang","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Proteins &amp; 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