RNA Interference In Entamoeba Histolytica: Implications For Parasite Biology And Gene Silencing

Abstract

Entamoeba histolytica is a major health threat to people in developing countries, where it causes invasive diarrhea and liver abscesses. The study of this important human pathogen has been hindered by a lack of tools for genetic manipulation. Recently, a number of genetic approaches based on variations of the RNAi method have been successfully developed and cloning of endogenous small-interfering RNAs from E. histolytica revealed an abundant population of small RNAs with an unusual 5´-polyphosphate structure. However, little is known about the implications of these findings to amebic biology or the mechanisms of gene silencing in this organism. In this article we review the literature relevant to RNAi in E. histolytica, discuss its implications for advances in gene silencing in this organism and outline potential future directions towards understanding the repertoire of RNAi and its impact on the biology of this deep-branching eukaryotic parasite.

Keywords:

• Entamoeba
• gene silencing
• RNAi
• secondary siRNA
• siRNA

Acknowledgments

We thank Gretchen Ehrenkaufer and all members of Singh‘s laboratory for critical reading of the manuscript.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

Justine Pompey was supported by an ASM Robert D Watkins fellowship and Hanbang Zhang and Upinder Singh were supported by NIH grants (AI-085178 and AI-53724). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

Justine Pompey was supported by an ASM Robert D Watkins fellowship and Hanbang Zhang and Upinder Singh were supported by NIH grants (AI-085178 and AI-53724). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.