Research article
Molecular cloning and expression analysis of peptidase genes in the fish-pathogenic scuticociliate Miamiensis avidus
Author affiliations
1 Pathology Division, National Fisheries Research & Development Institute (NFRDI), 152-1, Haean-Lo, Gijang-Up, Gijang-Gun, Busan 619-705, South Korea
2 Aquatic Life Disease Control Division, NFRDI, 152-1, Haean-Lo, Gijang-Up, Gijang-Gun, Busan 619-705, South Korea
3 Department of Aquatic Life Medicine, Pukyong National University, 599-1 Daeyondong, Namgu, Busan 608-737, South Korea
4 Institute of Fisheries Sciences, Pukyong National University, 295, Dongbaek-ri, Ilgwang-myeon, Gijang-gun, Busan 619-911, South Korea
Citation and License
BMC Veterinary Research 2013, 9:10 doi:10.1186/1746-6148-9-10
Published: 11 January 2013Abstract
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.
