These changes affected different pathways of RNA metabolism and are in line with a tick cell rewiring by two opposite processes: i) the virus activating or inactivating pathways that are required or detrimental (respectively) to infection; and ii) the host cell responding to this cue by triggering the antiviral program illustrated by AGO2, CNOT1 and XRN1. The gene discussed is XRN1; the disease is infection.