THE ROLE OF EXTRACELLULAR CYSTEINE PROTEINASES IN PATHOGENESIS OF ENTAMOEBA-HISTOLYTICA INVASION

The extracellular cysteine proteinases of Entamoeba histolytica have b een implicated as important virulence factors in the pathogenesis of a mebiasis and play a key role in tissue invasion and disruption of host defenses. These proteinases have attracted considerable interest as t argets for novel therapeutic agents and as vaccine candidates. Here, X uchu Que and Sharon Reed highlight some of the move recent findings, f ocusing in particular on functional and structural features of the ext racellular cysteine proteinases of E. histolytica.