RASD1 and infection: Of these proteins, ras-related proteins were selected for functional analysis by gene knockdown because these proteins are highly evolutionary conserved (Supplementary Figure 4), and function as binary molecular switches that control intracellular signaling networks affecting processes that have been shown before to be involved in tick cell infection by A. phagocytophilum (Sultana et al., 2010; Severo et al., 2013; Ayllón et al., 2015; de la Fuente et al., 2015, 2016; Villar et al., 2015; Cabezas-Cruz et al., 2016, 2017; Gulia-Nuss et al., 2016; Shaw et al., 2017).