diff --git a/python/google/protobuf/internal/descriptor_pool_test.py b/python/google/protobuf/internal/descriptor_pool_test.py
index e9ddae6d16..1eed7af25b 100644
--- a/python/google/protobuf/internal/descriptor_pool_test.py
+++ b/python/google/protobuf/internal/descriptor_pool_test.py
@@ -525,7 +525,7 @@ class DescriptorPoolTestBase(object):
         unittest_import_pb2.DESCRIPTOR.serialized_pb))
     pool.Add(descriptor_pb2.FileDescriptorProto.FromString(
         unittest_pb2.DESCRIPTOR.serialized_pb))
-    message_class = message_factory.MessageFactory(pool).GetPrototype(
+    message_class = message_factory.GetMessageClass(
         pool.FindMessageTypeByName(
             unittest_pb2.TestAllTypes.DESCRIPTOR.full_name))
     _CheckDefaultValues(message_class())
diff --git a/python/google/protobuf/internal/message_factory_test.py b/python/google/protobuf/internal/message_factory_test.py
index e72ecde094..09467cf72d 100644
--- a/python/google/protobuf/internal/message_factory_test.py
+++ b/python/google/protobuf/internal/message_factory_test.py
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ class MessageFactoryTest(unittest.TestCase):
     result = cls.FromString(reserialized)
     self.assertEqual(msg, result)
 
-  def testGetPrototype(self):
+  def testGetMessageClass(self):
     db = descriptor_database.DescriptorDatabase()
     pool = descriptor_pool.DescriptorPool(db)
     db.Add(self.factory_test1_fd)
diff --git a/python/google/protobuf/internal/python_message.py b/python/google/protobuf/internal/python_message.py
index fabc6aa078..28f599f759 100755
--- a/python/google/protobuf/internal/python_message.py
+++ b/python/google/protobuf/internal/python_message.py
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ class GeneratedProtocolMessageType(type):
   mydescriptor = Descriptor(.....)
   factory = symbol_database.Default()
   factory.pool.AddDescriptor(mydescriptor)
-  MyProtoClass = factory.GetPrototype(mydescriptor)
+  MyProtoClass = message_factory.GetMessageClass(mydescriptor)
   myproto_instance = MyProtoClass()
   myproto.foo_field = 23
   ...
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ class GeneratedProtocolMessageType(type):
     # to achieve similar results.
     #
     # This most commonly happens in `text_format.py` when using descriptors from
-    # a custom pool; it calls symbol_database.Global().getPrototype() on a
+    # a custom pool; it calls message_factory.GetMessageClass() on a
     # descriptor which already has an existing concrete class.
     new_class = getattr(descriptor, '_concrete_class', None)
     if new_class:
@@ -988,7 +988,10 @@ def _InternalUnpackAny(msg):
   if descriptor is None:
     return None
 
-  message_class = factory.GetPrototype(descriptor)
+  # Unable to import message_factory at top becaue of circular import.
+  # pylint: disable=g-import-not-at-top
+  from google.protobuf import message_factory
+  message_class = message_factory.GetMessageClass(descriptor)
   message = message_class()
 
   message.ParseFromString(msg.value)
diff --git a/python/google/protobuf/internal/symbol_database_test.py b/python/google/protobuf/internal/symbol_database_test.py
index 47675fcf3d..45cc979667 100644
--- a/python/google/protobuf/internal/symbol_database_test.py
+++ b/python/google/protobuf/internal/symbol_database_test.py
@@ -35,11 +35,6 @@ class SymbolDatabaseTest(unittest.TestCase):
     db.RegisterServiceDescriptor(unittest_pb2._TESTSERVICE)
     return db
 
-  def testGetPrototype(self):
-    instance = self._Database().GetPrototype(
-        unittest_pb2.TestAllTypes.DESCRIPTOR)
-    self.assertTrue(instance is unittest_pb2.TestAllTypes)
-
   def testGetMessages(self):
     messages = self._Database().GetMessages(
         ['google/protobuf/unittest.proto'])
diff --git a/python/google/protobuf/pyext/cpp_message.py b/python/google/protobuf/pyext/cpp_message.py
index 623b52fbff..54cfe30646 100644
--- a/python/google/protobuf/pyext/cpp_message.py
+++ b/python/google/protobuf/pyext/cpp_message.py
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ class GeneratedProtocolMessageType(_message.MessageMeta):
   mydescriptor = Descriptor(.....)
   factory = symbol_database.Default()
   factory.pool.AddDescriptor(mydescriptor)
-  MyProtoClass = factory.GetPrototype(mydescriptor)
+  MyProtoClass = message_factory.GetMessageClass(mydescriptor)
   myproto_instance = MyProtoClass()
   myproto.foo_field = 23
   ...