title: Leishmania aethiopica: identification and characterization of cathepsin L-like cysteine protease genes.
abstract: There is limited information on the biology and pathogenesis of Leishmania aethiopica, causative agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in Ethiopia. In this study we have identified and characterized two cathepsin L-like cysteine protease genes, Laecpa and Laecpb, from L. aethiopica. The predicted amino acid sequence of Laecpa and Laecpb is more than 75% identical with homologous cathepsin L-like cysteine protease genes of other Leishmania species and less than 50% identical with human cathepsin L. Laecpa is expressed predominantly in the stationary, and to a lower level, during the amastigote stage while Laecpb is specifically expressed in the stationary stage of L. aethiopica development. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the two genes are grouped into separate clades which are the result of gene duplication. The isolation of these genes will be useful in developing Leishmania species specific diagnostics for molecular epidemiological studies and serves as a first step to study the role of cysteine proteases in L. aethiopica pathogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Armauer Hansen Research Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Teklu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kuru
authors.forename: Dagim
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jirata
authors.forename: Abebe
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Genetu
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Barr
authors.forename: Yohannes
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mengistu
authors.forename: Abraham
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aseffa
authors.forename: Lashitew
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gedamu
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001499:Bayes Theorem; D002460:Cell Line; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000032:analysis; D020440:Gene Duplication; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D006801:Humans; D007891:Leishmania / Q000145:classification / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics*; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009000:Monocytes / Q000469:parasitology; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals / Q000502:physiology; D016053:RNA, Protozoan / Q000032:analysis; D016415:Sequence Alignment
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals; D016053:RNA, Protozoan; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases