Calcium-binding proteins of Entamoeba histolytica

Abstract

Calcium plays an essential role in many fundamental processes in almost all eukaryotic cells including protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica. Many of the calcium-mediated processes are carried out through the help of calcium-binding proteins (CaBPs). A few of these E. histolytica CaBPs have been described before. These proteins are unique to this organism and are thought to be essential. Availability of genome sequence has opened up the possibility of studying CaBPs at the whole genome level. In this preliminary report, we describe the complement of CaBPs present in E. histolytica. A large fraction of these genes are expressed in the trophozoites and are likely to be functional. The results suggest a number of pathways that are involved in calcium signaling and may be unique for this organism.