Kinetoplastid

A flagellated eukaryotic microorganism characterized by a kinetoplast, a DNA-containing structure within its single large mitochondrion. Kinetoplastids include free-living species and major parasites of humans, animals, and plants.

Kinetoplast: A DNA-rich region of a kinetoplastid mitochondrion containing an organized network of circular DNA molecules. This distinctive mitochondrial DNA network gives the group its name.
Trypanosoma brucei: A parasitic kinetoplastid that causes African trypanosomiasis in humans and nagana in animals. It is the agent of sleeping sickness and a model for parasite immune evasion.
Antigenic variation: A process by which a pathogen changes the molecules displayed to a host’s immune system. Trypanosoma brucei periodically changes its surface coat to evade antibody responses.
Euglenozoa: A major eukaryotic lineage that includes kinetoplastids, euglenids, and diplonemids. Kinetoplastids are one branch of this broader evolutionary group.
Kinetoplastid genomics: The study of kinetoplastid genomes, including their nuclear and mitochondrial DNA. Comparative genomes reveal how parasitic and free-living members differ.
Mitochondrion: A membrane-bound organelle that carries out cellular respiration and other metabolic functions in eukaryotic cells. Kinetoplastid DNA is concentrated within the group’s single large mitochondrion.
Trypanosoma cruzi: A parasitic kinetoplastid that causes Chagas disease, primarily in Latin America. Its transmission and persistence make it a major human-health example of the group.
Variant surface glycoprotein: A surface protein that forms the changeable protective coat of African trypanosomes. Switching which glycoprotein is expressed enables prolonged infection in the bloodstream.
Trypanosomatida: An order of kinetoplastids that includes many parasitic species with a single flagellum. This order contains the best-known disease-causing kinetoplastids.
Mitochondrial DNA replication: The cellular processes that copy mitochondrial DNA before cell division. The elaborate kinetoplast DNA network poses unusual questions about replication and segregation.

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