Fowlerstefin, a cysteine protease inhibitor of Naegleria fowleri, induces inflammatory responses in BV-2 microglial cells in vitro.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Naegleria fowleri is a free-living amoeba that causes an opportunistic fatal infection known as primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) in humans. Cysteine proteases produced by the amoeba may play critical roles in the pathogenesis of infection. In this study, a novel cysteine protease inhibitor of N. fowleri (fowlerstefin) was characterized to elucidate its biological function as an endogenous cysteine protease inhibitor of the parasite as well as a pathogenic molecule that induces immune responses in microglial cells.

Methods

Recombinant fowlerstefin was expressed in Escherichia coli. The inhibitory activity of fowlerstefin against several cysteine proteases, including human cathepsins B and L, papain and NfCPB-L, was analyzed. Fowlerstefin-induced pro-inflam

SUBMITTER: Thai TL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6988287 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature