Tigutcystatin, a cysteine protease inhibitor from Triatoma infestans midgut expressed in response to Trypanosoma cruzi

► Tigutcystatin inhibits Trypanosoma cruzi cysteine proteases with high specificity. ► Tigutcystatin expression is up-regulated in response to T. cruzi infection. ► It is the first cysteine proteases inhibitor characterized from a triatomine insect.