SOAT1 and infection: I. ricinus IRE/CTVM20 cells appear to be more similar to I. scapularis midguts after infection with A. phagocytophilum [24,60], which, together with previous results in tick cells [59], suggests a role for the JAK/STAT pathway in the inhibition of apoptosis in I. ricinus IRE/CTVM20 infected cells (Figure 3).