Interaction of Rickettsia felis with histone H2B facilitates the infection of a tick cell line Thepparit, Chutima and Bourchookarn, Apichai and Petchampai, Natthida and Barker, Steven A. and Macaluso, Kevin R.,, 156, 2855-2863 (2010), doi = https://doi.org/10.1099/mic.0.041400-0, publicationName = Microbiology Society, issn = 1350-0872, abstract= Haematophagous arthropods are the primary vectors in the transmission of Rickettsia, yet the molecular mechanisms mediating the rickettsial infection of arthropods remain elusive. This study utilized a biotinylated protein pull-down assay together with LC-MS/MS to identify interaction between Ixodes scapularis histone H2B and Rickettsia felis. Co-immunoprecipitation of histone with rickettsial cell lysate demonstrated the association of H2B with R. felis proteins, including outer-membrane protein B (OmpB), a major rickettsial adhesin molecule. The rickettsial infection of tick ISE6 cells was reduced by approximately 25 % via RNA-mediated H2B-depletion or enzymic treatment of histones. The interaction of H2B with the rickettsial adhesin OmpB suggests a role for H2B in mediating R. felis internalization into ISE6 cells., language=, type=