AEBSF is also a non-selective inhibitor of proteasome serine protease activity [86]. classes have been implicated in growth and/or differentiation. In this study, we employed bioinformatics to reveal the complete set of putative proteases in the genome. We recognized 73 peptidase homologues distributed over 5 catalytic classes in the genome. Serial analysis of gene expression of the lifecycle found OSI-420 thirteen protease genes with significant transcriptional variance over the lifecycle, with only one serine protease transcript upregulated late in encystation. The translated gene sequence of this encystation-specific transcript was most much like eukaryotic subtilisin-like proprotein convertases (SPC), although the typical catalytic triad was not recognized. Epitope-tagged gSPC protein expressed in under its own promoter was upregulated during encystation with highest expression in cysts and it localized to encystation-specific secretory vesicles (ESV). Total gSPC from encysting cells produced proteolysis in gelatin gels that co-migrated with the epitope-tagged protease in immunoblots. Immuno-purified gSPC also experienced gelatinase activity. To test whether endogenous gSPC activity is usually involved OSI-420 in differentiation, trophozoites and cysts were exposed to the specific serine proteinase inhibitor 4-(2-Aminoethyl)-benzenesulfonyl fluoride hydrochloride (AEBSF). After 21 h encystation, a significant decrease in ESV was observed with 1 mM AEBSF and by 42 h the number of cysts was significantly reduced, but trophozoite growth was not inhibited. Concurrently, levels of cyst wall proteins 1 and 2, and AU1-tagged gSPC protein itself were decreased. Excystation of cysts was also significantly reduced in the presence of AEBSF. These results support the idea that serine protease activity is essential for encystation and excystation. is a major cause of waterborne diarrheal disease worldwide [1, 2]. cycles between two developmental and morphological forms, the trophozoite and the cyst. Trophozoites colonize the upper small intestine by attaching to epithelial OSI-420 cells where they can cause OSI-420 disease. Contamination with does not typically cause inflammation and parasites do OSI-420 not invade the host mucosa or damage intestinal tissues. When trophozoites descend through the small intestine, they generate a rigid extracellular matrix, or cyst wall STAT91 (CW), that protects them from your external environment (Rev. [3]). The CW also protects the parasites from gastric acid as they pass through the belly of a new host before reaching the small intestine where they excyst. Since cysts are the infective stage for mammalian hosts, these differentiations are key to (e.g. [18C23]), but the enzymes have yet to be recognized. Notably, cysteine protease activity is also reported to be crucial during excystation of [24]. Cysteine protease activity is the most abundant proteolytic activity detected in as in many other protozoan parasites [25C28]. Through transcriptome analyses of the life cycle [29] we recognized a putative prohormone peptidase, gene ID GL50803_2897, with increased expression late in encystation. This protein was recently identified as one of the most abundant wheat germ agglutinin (WGA)-binding glycoproteins in encysting [30]. Sequence comparisons revealed that it is most much like subtilisin-like proprotein convertases (SPC) of the serine protease family. SPCs are calcium dependent serine endopeptidases that cleave diverse pro-peptides into molecules that are frequently biologically active [31C33]. Cleavage of substrates typically occurs after a pair or series of basic residues. SPCs have conserved structural and functional regions, and the catalytic domain name has positionally conserved amino acid residues. These regions are [31, 34, 35]: the N-terminal transmission peptide for transport through the secretory system, the partially conserved pro-domain that assists in intramolecular chaperone folding within the ER and is usually autocatalytically cleaved [36, 37], the conserved subtilisin-like catalytic segment with three positional active site residues, and the highly conserved P-domain that stabilizes the catalytic domain name and may regulate pH and calcium dependence [34, 38]. A variable carboxyl-terminal extension follows the P-domain of SPCs. Several subtilisin type serine proteases have been detected and characterized in protozoan parasites (e. g., [39C44]), however none of those can be classified as a SPC. SPCs are crucial in activating precursor proteins into biologically active forms through regulated proteolysis and are considered novel targets for drug design [32, 34]. We found a single SPC-like gene in the degradome, (GL50803_ 2897; gSPC), and we evaluated its role in the life cycle. We demonstrate that AU1-tagged gSPC protein is.