title: Molecular cloning and expression analysis of peptidase genes in the fish-pathogenic scuticociliate Miamiensis avidus.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Parasite peptidases have been actively studied as vaccine candidates or drug targets for prevention or treatment of parasitic diseases because of their important roles for survival and/or invasion in the host. Like other parasites, the facultative histophagous ciliate Miamiensis avidus would possess peptidases that are closely associated with the invasion into the host tissue and survival in the host.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The 17 genes encoding peptidases, including seven cathepsin-like cysteine peptidases, four serine carboxypeptidases, a eukaryotic aspartyl protease family protein, an ATP-dependent metalloprotease FtsH family protein, three leishmanolysin family proteins and a peptidase family M49 protein were identified from a Miamiensis avidus cDNA library by BLAST X search. Expression of genes encoding two cysteine peptidases, three leishmanolysin-like peptidases and a peptidase family M49 protein was up-regulated in the cell-fed ciliates compared to the starved ciliates. Especially, one cysteine peptidase (MaPro 4) and one leishmanolysin-like peptidase (MaPro 14) were transcribed more than 100-folds in the cell-fed ciliates.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The genetic information and transcriptional characteristics of the peptidases in the present results would be helpful to elucidate the role of peptidases in the invasion of scuticociliates into their hosts.
authors: Pathology Division, National Fisheries Research & Development Institute (NFRDI), 152-1, Haean-Lo, Gijang-Up, Gijang-Gun, Busan 619-705, South Korea.
authors: Jung Soo
authors: JS
authors: Seo
authors: Eun Ji
authors: EJ
authors: Jeon
authors: Sung Hee
authors: SH
authors: Jung
authors: Myoung Ae
authors: MA
authors: Park
authors: Jin Woo
authors: JW
authors: Kim
authors: Ki Hong
authors: KH
authors: Kim
authors: Sung Ho
authors: SH
authors: Woo
authors: Eun Hye
authors: EH
authors: Lee
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016798:Ciliophora / Q000235:genetics*; D016770:Ciliophora Infections / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics; D005393:Fish Diseases / Q000469:parasitology; D005432:Flounder / Q000469:parasitology; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling / Q000662:veterinary; D017125:Genes, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D012474:Salmon / Q000469:parasitology; D016415:Sequence Alignment
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan