Cytoskeletal architecture and components involved in the 

attachment of <i>Trypanosoma congolense</i> epimastigotes

Beattie, Pauline; Gull, Keith

doi:10.1017/s0031182097001042

Cited by 31 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Furthermore, it is able to restructure the flagellum to attach to surfaces, generating an extensive flagellum-derived adhesive pad, and does so readily in culture. This allowed an analysis of this process, which occurs in most trypanosomatid lineages (13)(14)(15). Judging by the distribution of morphological traits in trypanosomatids, we propose that Paratrypanosoma morphology is close to that of the last common ancestor of trypanosomatids.…”

Section: Significancementioning

confidence: 91%

Extensive flagellar remodeling during the complex life cycle of Paratrypanosoma , an early-branching trypanosomatid

Skalický

Dobáková

Wheeler

et al. 2017

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

is a monoxenous kinetoplastid flagellate that constitutes the most basal branch of the highly diverse parasitic trypanosomatids, which include human pathogens and This makes uniquely informative for the evolution of obligatory parasitism from free-living lifestyle and the evolution of human parasitism in some trypanosomatid lineages. It has typical promastigote morphology but also forms surface-attached haptomonads and amastigotes. Haptomonads form by attachment to a surface via a large bulge at the base of the flagellum, which is then remodeled into a thin attachment pad associated with flagellum shortening. Promastigotes and haptomonads multiply by binary division, and the progeny of a haptomonad can either remain attached or grow a flagellum and resume swimming. Whole genome sequencing and transcriptome profiling, in combination with analysis of the cell ultrastructure, reveal how the cell surface and metabolism are adapted to parasitism and how characteristic cytoskeletal features are conserved. Our data demonstrate that surface attachment by the flagellum and the flagellar pocket, a-like flagellum attachment zone, and a -like cytostome are ancestral features, while evolution of extant trypanosomatids, including the human parasites, is associated with genome streamlining and diversification of membrane proteins.

show abstract

Section: Significancementioning

confidence: 91%

Extensive flagellar remodeling during the complex life cycle of Paratrypanosoma , an early-branching trypanosomatid

Skalický

Dobáková

Wheeler

et al. 2017

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…At the site of contact, the flagellar membrane is observed to expand and abundant filamentous material is present, contacting electrondense plaques internal to the membrane and lining the region of attachment (Beattie and Gull, 1997;Tetley and Vickerman, 1985;Vickerman, 1985;Vickerman et al, 1988). Although these junctions have been referred to as 'desmosomes' or 'hemidesmosomes', there is also no evidence to indicate that they are biochemically related to the desmosomes and hemidesmosomes found in higher eukaryotes.…”

Section: Axonemal Cross-linking At the Flagella Connectormentioning

confidence: 99%

The flagella connector ofTrypanosoma brucei: an unusual mobile transmembrane junction

Briggs

McKean

Baines

et al. 2004

Journal of Cell Science

121

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Throughout its elongation, the new flagellum of the procyclic form of the African trypanosome Trypanosoma brucei is tethered at its tip to the lateral aspect of the old flagellum. This phenomenon provides a cytotactic mechanism for influencing inheritance of cellular pattern. Here, we show that this tethering is produced via a discrete, mobile transmembrane junction – the flagella connector. Light and electron microscopy reveal that the flagella connector links the extending microtubules at the tip of the new flagellum to the lateral aspect of three of the doublet microtubules in the old flagellar axoneme. Two sets of filaments connect the microtubules to three plates on the inner faces of the old and new flagellar membranes. Three differentiated areas of old and new flagellar membranes are then juxtaposed and connected by a central interstitial core of electron-dense material. The flagella connector is formed early in flagellum extension and is removed at the end of cytokinesis, but the exact timing of the latter event is slightly variable. The flagella connector represents a novel form of cellular junction that is both dynamic and mobile.

show abstract

“…T. brucei epimastigotes probably need live cells for attachment, because in vivo there is intimate contact between outgrowths of the flagellar membrane with cells of the tsetse salivary gland epithelium [19]. EM studies show that attachment of T. congolense epimastigotes is via hemidesmosomes both in vitro and in vivo [20,22,29]. Comparison of shaken and unshaken cultures showed that attachment is not necessary for epimastigote division but is a prerequisite for differentiation into metacyclics [30].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The life cycle of Trypanosoma (Nannomonas) congolense in the tsetse fly

et al. 2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundThe tsetse-transmitted African trypanosomes cause diseases of importance to the health of both humans and livestock. The life cycles of these trypanosomes in the fly were described in the last century, but comparatively few details are available for Trypanosoma (Nannomonas) congolense, despite the fact that it is probably the most prevalent and widespread pathogenic species for livestock in tropical Africa. When the fly takes up bloodstream form trypanosomes, the initial establishment of midgut infection and invasion of the proventriculus is much the same in T. congolense and T. brucei. However, the developmental pathways subsequently diverge, with production of infective metacyclics in the proboscis for T. congolense and in the salivary glands for T. brucei. Whereas events during migration from the proventriculus are understood for T. brucei, knowledge of the corresponding developmental pathway in T. congolense is rudimentary. The recent publication of the genome sequence makes it timely to re-investigate the life cycle of T. congolense.MethodsExperimental tsetse flies were fed an initial bloodmeal containing T. congolense strain 1/148 and dissected 2 to 78 days later. Trypanosomes recovered from the midgut, proventriculus, proboscis and cibarium were fixed and stained for digital image analysis. Trypanosomes contained in spit samples from individually caged flies were analysed similarly. Mensural data from individual trypanosomes were subjected to principal components analysis.ResultsFlies were more susceptible to infection with T. congolense than T. brucei; a high proportion of flies infected with T. congolense established a midgut and subsequent proboscis infection, whereas many T. brucei infections were lost in the migration from foregut to salivary glands. In T. congolense, trypomastigotes ceased division in the proventriculus and became uniform in size. The trypanosomes retained trypomastigote morphology during migration via the foregut to the mouthparts and we confirmed that the trypomastigote-epimastigote transition occurred in the proboscis. We found no equivalent to the asymmetric division stage in T. brucei that mediates transition of proventricular trypomastigotes to epimastigotes. In T. congolense extremely long epimastigotes with remarkably elongated posterior ends were observed in both the proboscis and cibarium; no difference was found in the developmental stages in these two organs. Dividing trypomastigotes and epimastigotes were recovered from the proboscis, some of which were in transition from trypomastigote to epimastigote and vice versa. It remains uncertain whether these morphological transitions are mediated by cell division, since we also found non-dividing cells with a variously positioned, juxta-nuclear kinetoplast.ConclusionsWe have presented a detailed description of the life cycle of T. congolense in its tsetse fly vector. During development in the fly T. congolense shares a common migratory pathway with its close relative T. brucei, culminating in the production of small ...

show abstract

Cytoskeletal architecture and components involved in the attachment of Trypanosoma congolense epimastigotes

Cited by 31 publications

References 0 publications

Extensive flagellar remodeling during the complex life cycle of Paratrypanosoma , an early-branching trypanosomatid

Extensive flagellar remodeling during the complex life cycle of Paratrypanosoma , an early-branching trypanosomatid

The flagella connector ofTrypanosoma brucei: an unusual mobile transmembrane junction

The life cycle of Trypanosoma (Nannomonas) congolense in the tsetse fly

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About