Bioinformatics Analysis and Functional Prediction of Transmembrane Proteins in Entamoeba histolytica

Entamoeba histolytica is an invasive, pathogenic parasite causing amoebiasis. Given that proteins involved in transmembrane (TM) transport are crucial for the adherence, invasion, and nutrition of the parasite, we conducted a genome-wide bioinformatics analysis of encoding proteins to functionally classify and characterize all the TM proteins in E. histolytica. In the present study, 692 TM proteins have been identified, of which 546 are TM transporters. For the first time, we report a set of 141 uncharacterized proteins predicted as TM transporters. The percentage of TM proteins was found to be lower in comparison to the free-living eukaryotes, due to the extracellular nature and functional diversification of the TM proteins. The number of multi-pass proteins is larger than the single-pass proteins; though both have their own significance in parasitism, multi-pass proteins are more extensively required as these are involved in acquiring nutrition and for ion transport, while single-pass proteins are only required at the time of inciting infection. Overall, this intestinal parasite implements multiple mechanisms for establishing infection, obtaining nutrition, and adapting itself to the new host environment. A classification of the repertoire of TM transporters in the present study augments several hints on potential methods of targeting the parasite for therapeutic benefits.