Joachim Hentschel

TL;DR: Whether the food vacuole is an intracellular Ca2+ store, which in turn may affect other physiological functions in which this organelle partakes, is investigated using x-ray microanalysis and quantitative confocal live cell Ca 2+ imaging.

TL;DR: A preliminary description of the elemental composition of this organelle by X-ray microanalysis and elemental mapping revealed the presence of calcium, phosphorus and iron concentrated in its matrix, suggesting a new functional role for these organelles as iron storage compartments.

TL;DR: It is shown for the first time that increasing Ca2+e facilitates exocytosis and endocytotic membrane fusion, i.e., membrane resealing, and also drives detachment of ``ghosts'' — a novel aspect not analyzed so far in any other system.

TL;DR: The structural, biochemical and physiological aspects of acidocalcisomes in Apicomplexan parasites are reviewed and their functional roles in the maintenance of intracellular ion homeostasis are discussed.

TL;DR: This work will facilitate the understanding of the function of acidocalcisomes in Apicomplexan parasites, as it can now isolate highly purified fractions that could be used for proteomic analysis to find proteins that may clarify the biogenesis of these organelles.