By analyzing the metabolic profiles of 14 different lamprey tissues, we show that two groups of metabolites in the buccal gland of lampreys, prostaglandins and the kynurenine pathway metabolites, can be injected into the host fish to assist lamprey blood feeding. (firstpointsoftware.com)
Almost all blood-sucking animals are invertebrates, such as fleas, ticks, leeches, and mosquitoes, and lampreys are one of the only a few groups of vertebrate ectoparasites15. (firstpointsoftware.com)
Given their unique phylogenetic position and status as one of the few groups of vertebrate ectoparasites, lampreys are expected to have developed distinct metabolites specifically adapted for blood-feeding and parasitism. (firstpointsoftware.com)