An Entamoeba cysteine peptidase specifically expressed during encystation.

Protozoan parasites of the genus Entamoeba possess a considerable number of cysteine peptidases (CPs), the function of most of these molecules for amoeba biology needs to be established. In order to determine whether CPs may play a role during Entamoeba stage conversion from trophozoites into cysts and vice versa, expression of cp genes was analysed in the reptilian parasite Entamoeba invadens, a model organism for studying Entamoeba cyst development. By homology search, 28 papain-like cp genes were identified in public E.