amebiasis/arginine

Entamoeba histolytica, the causative agent of amoebic dysentery, liver abscess and colitis, exploits its vesicular trafficking machinery for survival and virulence. Rab family of small GTPases play a key role in the vesicular transport by undergoing the GTP/GDP cycle which is central to the

Entamoeba histolytica cysteine proteinases (EhCPs) play a key role in disrupting the colonic epithelial barrier and the innate host immune response during invasion of E. histolytica, the protozoan cause of human amebiasis. EhCPs are encoded by 50 genes, of which ehcp4 (ehcp-a4) is the most

Arginase, the binuclear metalloenzyme, is a potential target for therapeutic intervention in protozoan infections. Entamoeba histolytica infection causes amebiasis which is the second most common cause of protozoan-related human deaths after malaria. Here, we report the crystal structure of E.

Entamoeba histolytica is an obligate protozoan parasite of humans, and amebiasis, an infectious disease which targets the intestine and/or liver, is the second most common cause of human death due to a protozoan after malaria. Although amebiasis is usually asymptomatic, E. histolytica has potent

The RNA interference (RNAi) pathway regulates gene expression in many eukaryotic organisms. Argonaute (Ago) proteins, together with bound small RNAs (sRNAs), are key effectors that mediate gene silencing function. However, there is limited knowledge of Ago proteins and their functions in nonmodel

Cysteine proteinases, which are encoded by at least seven genes, play a critical role in the pathogenesis of invasive amebiasis caused by Entamoeba histolytica. The study of these enzymes has been hampered by the inability to obtain significant quantities of the individual native proteinases. We

NADPH-diaphorase activity has been considered as a nitric oxide synthase (NOS) marker. Therefore, the presence of NADPH-d activity in Entamoeba histolytica suggests that they have NOS activity. The aim of this work was to provide support for this contention. The amebic culture medium or amebic

An in-house database of 520 compounds was docked against Entamoeba histolytica thioredoxin reductase (EhTrR), a promising target for the treatment of amoebiasis. Amongst these, some metronidazole (MTZ)-triazole hybrids were ranked high, with docking scores from -10.23 to -7.56. Studies of the

FPLC anion-exchange and chromatofocusing chromatography were used to purify the major neutral proteinase from secretions of axenically cultured Entamoeba histolytica trophozoites. HM-1 strain trophozoites, which were more proteolytically active than the less virulent HK-9 strain, were used for

Cysteine proteinases are key virulence factors of the protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica. We have shown that cysteine proteinases play a central role in tissue invasion and disruption of host defenses by digesting components of the extracellular matrix, immunoglobulins, complement, and

Malnutrition substantially increases susceptibility to Entamoeba histolytica in children. Leptin is a hormone produced by adipocytes that inhibits food intake, influences the immune system, and is suppressed in malnourished children. Therefore we hypothesized that diminished leptin function may

Expression of the 56-kilodalton (kDa) neutral thiol proteinase has been shown to correlate with the potential of clinical isolates of Entamoeba histolytica to produce invasive disease. A 56-kDa band was identified by gelatin substrate gel electrophoresis in 10 of 10 isolates from patients with