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Updated: Apr 17, 2026

Isolation of F1-ATPase from the Parasitic Protist Trypanosoma brucei
Published on: January 22, 2019
Malleable mitochondrion of Trypanosoma brucei
Zdeněk Verner1, Somsuvro Basu2, Corinna Benz3
1Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic; Present address: Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia; Present address: Faculty of Sciences, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
Abstract:
The importance of mitochondria for a typical aerobic eukaryotic cell is undeniable, as the list of necessary mitochondrial processes is steadily growing. Here, we summarize the current knowledge of mitochondrial biology of an early-branching parasitic protist, Trypanosoma brucei, a causative agent of serious human and cattle diseases. We present a comprehensive survey of its mitochondrial pathways including kinetoplast DNA replication and maintenance, gene expression, protein and metabolite import, major metabolic pathways, Fe-S cluster synthesis, ion homeostasis, organellar dynamics, and other processes. As we describe in this chapter, the single mitochondrion of T. brucei is everything but simple and as such rivals mitochondria of multicellular organisms.
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