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Updated: May 24, 2026

Isolation of F1-ATPase from the Parasitic Protist Trypanosoma brucei
Published on: January 22, 2019
Trypanosoma brucei solanesyl-diphosphate synthase localizes to the mitochondrion
De-Hua Lai1, Esteban J Bontempi, Julius Lukeš
1Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3RE, UK. ltaclai@hotmail.com
Abstract:
Polyprenyl-diphosphate synthase is a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of ubiquinone, a molecule considered essential for a typical eukaryotic cell. Its orthologue in the American stercorarian flagellate Trypanosoma cruzi, solanesyl diphosphate synthase, has been previously localized into the glycosomes. We wondered whether this unique cellular localization is shared by other trypanosome species. Using digitonin permeabilization, immunofluorescence and in situ tagging techniques, we show that in Trypanosoma brucei, the African salivarian flagellate, the enzyme localizes to the mitochondrion.
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