Acidocalcisomes of Phytomonas françai possess distinct morphological characteristics and contain iron.
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Citations
Acidocalcisomes ? conserved from bacteria to man
Quantitative Calcium Measurements in Subcellular Compartments of Plasmodium falciparum-infected Erythrocytes
Proteomic analysis of the acidocalcisome, an organelle conserved from bacteria to human cells.
The Streamlined Genome of Phytomonas spp. Relative to Human Pathogenic Kinetoplastids Reveals a Parasite Tailored for Plants
Acidocalcisomes of eukaryotes.
References
Intracellular Ca2+ storage in acidocalcisomes of Trypanosoma cruzi.
Cytosolic-free Calcium Elevation In Trypanosoma Cruzi Is Required For Cell Invasion
Digitonin permeabilization does not affect mitochondrial function and allows the determination of the mitochondrial membrane potential of Trypanosoma cruzi in situ.
Ca2+/H+ exchange in acidic vacuoles of Trypanosoma brucei
Phytomonas and other trypanosomatid parasites of plants and fruit.
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Ca2+/H+ exchange in acidic vacuoles of Trypanosoma brucei
Frequently Asked Questions (17)
Q2. What is the role of a phosphatase inhibitor in the fibroblasts?
Mobilization of intracellular calcium upon attachment of Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites to human fibroblasts is required for invasion.
Q3. What is the mechanism of Ca21 uptake by the endoplasmic reticulum?
Ca21 uptake by the endoplasmic reticulum occurs via a Ca21-ATPase and is inhibited by high concentrations of vanadate and anticalmodulin agents.
Q4. How long did the X-rays take to be collected?
X rays were collected for 300 s using a Si~Li! detector with an ultrathin window in a 0–10-keV energy range with a resolution of 10 eV/channel.
Q5. What is the role of iron in the metabolism of the parasite?
Iron constitutes an important element, being part of many molecules involved in several biological reactions, including oxygen transport, respiration, photosynthesis, and drug detoxification.
Q6. What is the role of iron in the acidocalcisome?
It is possible that iron uptake into the acidocalcisomes occurs through an iron-transport system located in the acidocalcisome membrane.
Q7. What is the role of the acidocalcisome in the parasite’s metabolism?
Many functions have been attributed to the acidocalcisome, from calcium uptake, storage, and signaling to polyphosphate storage and a potential role in the adaptation of the parasite to environmental stresses ~Docampo & Moreno, 2001!.
Q8. What is the role of Ca21 in the invasion of host cells?
In addition, Ca21 is known to be involved in the invasion of host cells by different parasites, a process that is crucial for maintaining their life cycles ~Moreno et al., 1994; Lu et al., 1997; Vieira & Moreno, 2000!.
Q9. What is the morphology of the organelles in trypanosomatids?
it is generally believed that the presence of iron in trypanosomatids is directly related to the degradation of incorporated ironcontaining nutrients and growth factors ~i.e., hemin, hemoglobin, and hematin! that are prelocalized in the newly formed endocytic compartments.
Q10. What is the morphology of the organelles in T. cruzi?
Herpetomonas samuelpessoai also exhibit iron-rich electron-dense organelles similar to those found in T. cyclops, where iron may result from the degradation of hemin, an essential component of the culture media ~Carvalho & de Souza, 1977!.
Q11. How was the TEM used to examine the presence of acidocalcisomes?
To investigate the presence of acidocalcisomes in P. françai, unfixed whole cells were air dried on formvar/ carbon-coated TEM grids and observed in an energyfiltering TEM.
Q12. What was the X-ray spectra from the acidocalcisomes?
Electron-Probe X-Ray MicroanalysisEnergy-dispersive X-ray spectra were recorded from the acidocalcisomes present in whole cells adhered to formvar/ carbon-coated copper grids.
Q13. What is the morphology of the organelles in trypanosoma cyclops?
Trypanosoma cyclops contains a prominent iron-containing vacuole only visible by light microscopy when cells are grown in the presence of hemoglobin, and for this reason they were thought to represent a phagosome or storage body containing haem derived from the incomplete digestion of hemoglobin ~Vickerman & Tetley, 1977!.
Q14. What are the common types of trypanosomatids?
Plant trypanosomatids include those that live in the latex of various families of lacticiferous plants, in the phloem vessels of palms, coffee trees, and other plants, in the fruit sap and seeds of several plant families, and in flowers ~Catarino et al., 2001!.
Q15. What is the important characteristic of the acidocalcisomes?
In P. françai, one remarkable characteristic of the acidocalcisomes is the presence of a high concentration of iron, a feature that, up to now, was unique to this parasite, except for its presence in acidocalcisomes of bloodstream forms of T. cruzi ~Correa et al., 2002!.
Q16. What is the role of the acidocalcisome in the parasite’s iron metabolism?
as most of the iron is enclosed by the acidocalcisome membrane ~as is apparent in the iron images; Fig. 2!, the organelle could also play a role in a mechanism of iron detoxification by the parasite.
Q17. What is the composition of the organelles of P. françai?
Elongated structures resembling endoplasmic reticulum with an enlarged matrix also containing an electron-dense material were frequently seen ~Fig. 3C!. X-ray microanalysis confirmed that these organelles have the same composition as the dense organelles seen in wholecell preparations ~Fig. 3D!.Immunolocalization using polyclonal antibodies raised against a plant vacuolar proton pyrophosphatase showed a strong reaction with small intracellular structures in P. françai ~Fig. 4A,B!, indicating the presence of a H1 PPase in these parasites.