Identification of invasion proteins of Cryptosporidium parvum

Host cell interactions and invasion by Cryptosporidium is a complex process mediated by zoites ligand–host cell receptors. Knowledge of proteins involved in this process will enable entry level inhibitors to be tried as therapeutic agents. In the present study, invasion proteins of Cryptosporidium parvum were studied in vitro. Cryptosporidium sporozoites membrane proteins were isolated and Cy5 dye labelled. They were then allowed to interact with the intact host cells. The interacting proteins were identified using 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis followed by mass spectrometry analysis. Sixty-one proteins were identified including twenty-seven previously reported invasion proteins. The newly identified proteins such as serine/threonine protein kinase, PI4 kinase, Hsp105 and coiled coil may have their roles in the parasitic invasion process. Thus, a new approach was used in the study to identify the probable proteins involved in invasion and/or host–parasite interactions. The advantage of this method is that it takes only a months’ time instead of decades to identify these proteins involved in invasion process.