Transcriptomic comparison of two Entamoeba histolytica strains with defined virulence phenotypes identifies new virulence factor candidates and key differences in the expression patterns of cysteine proteases, lectin light chains, and calmodulin.

The availability of Rahman, and the virulent HM-1:IMSS strain of E. histolytica, provides a powerful tool for identifying virulence factors of E. histolytica. Here we report an attempt to identify potential virulence factors of E. histolytica by comparing the transcriptome of E. histolytica HM-1:IMSS and E. histolytica Rahman. With phenotypically defined strains, we compared the transcriptome of Rahman and HM-1:IMSS using a custom 70mer oligonucleotide based microarray that has essentially full representation of the E. histolytica HM-1:IMSS genome. We find extensive differences between the two strains, including distinct patterns of gene expression of cysteine proteinases, AIG family members, and lectin light chains.