Functional studies of an evolutionarily conserved, cytochrome b5 domain protein reveal a specific role in axonemal organisation and the general phenomenon of post-division axonemal growth in trypanosomes

Diversity in new flagellum tip attachment in bloodstream form African trypanosomes

The closely related parasites Trypanosoma brucei, T. congolense, and T. vivax cause neglected tropical diseases collectively known as African Trypanosomiasis. A characteristic feature of bloodstream form T. brucei is the flagellum that is laterally attached to the side of the cell body. During the cell cycle, the new flagellum is formed alongside the old flagellum, with the new flagellum tip embedded within a mobile transmembrane junction called the groove. The molecular composition of the groove is currently unknown, which limits the analysis of this junction and assessment of its conservation in related trypanosomatids. Here, we identified 13 proteins that localize to the flagellar groove through a small-scale tagging screen. Functional analysis of a subset of these proteins by RNAi and gene deletion revealed three proteins, FCP4/TbKin15, FCP7, and FAZ45, that are involved in new flagellum tip attachment to the groove. Despite possessing orthologues of all 13 groove proteins, T. congolense and T. vivax did not assemble a canonical groove around the new flagellum tip according to 3D electron microscopy. This diversity in new flagellum tip attachment points to the rapid evolution of membrane-cytoskeleton structures that can occur without large changes in gene complement and likely reflects the niche specialization of each species.

Revealing spatio-temporal dynamics with long-term trypanosomatid live-cell imaging

Trypanosoma brucei, the causative agent of human African trypanosomiasis, is highly motile and must be able to move in all three dimensions for reliable cell division. These characteristics make long-term microscopic imaging of live T. brucei cells challenging, which has limited our understanding of important cellular events. To address this issue, we devised an imaging approach that confines cells in small volumes within cast agarose microwells that can be imaged continuously for up to 24 h. Individual T. brucei cells were imaged through multiple rounds of cell division with high spatial and temporal resolution. We developed a strategy that employs in-well “sentinel” cells to monitor potential imaging toxicity during loss-of-function experiments such as small-molecule inhibition and RNAi. Using our approach, we show that the asymmetric daughter cells produced during T. brucei division subsequently divide at different rates, with the old-flagellum daughter cell dividing first. The flagellar detachment phenotype that appears during inhibition of the Polo-like kinase homolog TbPLK occurs in a stepwise fashion, with the new flagellum initially linked by its tip to the old, attached flagellum. We probe the feasibility of a previously proposed “back-up” cytokinetic mechanism and show that cells that initiate this process do not appear to complete cell division. This live-cell imaging method will provide a novel avenue for studying a wide variety of cellular events in trypanosomatids that have previously been inaccessible.

Alternate histories of cytokinesis: lessons from the trypanosomatids

Popular culture has recently produced several “alternate histories” that describe worlds where key historical events had different outcomes. Beyond entertainment, asking “could this have happened a different way?” and “what would the consequences be?” are valuable approaches for exploring molecular mechanisms in many areas of research, including cell biology. Analogous to alternate histories, studying how the evolutionary trajectories of related organisms have been selected to provide a range of outcomes can tell us about the plasticity and potential contained within the genome of the ancestral cell. Among eukaryotes, a group of model organisms has been employed with great success to identify a core, conserved framework of proteins that segregate the duplicated cellular organelles into two daughter cells during cell division, a process known as cytokinesis. However, these organisms provide relatively sparse sampling across the broad evolutionary distances that exist, which has limited our understanding of the true potential of the ancestral eukaryotic toolkit. Recent work on the trypanosomatids, a group of eukaryotic parasites, exemplifies alternate historical routes for cytokinesis that illustrate the range of eukaryotic diversity, especially among unicellular organisms.

CEP164C regulates flagellum length in stable flagella

Cilia and flagella are required for cell motility and sensing the external environment and can vary in both length and stability. Stable flagella maintain their length without shortening and lengthening and are proposed to “lock” at the end of growth, but molecular mechanisms for this lock are unknown. We show that CEP164C contributes to the locking mechanism at the base of the flagellum in Trypanosoma brucei. CEP164C localizes to mature basal bodies of fully assembled old flagella, but not to growing new flagella, and basal bodies only acquire CEP164C in the third cell cycle after initial assembly. Depletion of CEP164C leads to dysregulation of flagellum growth, with continued growth of the old flagellum, consistent with defects in a flagellum locking mechanism. Inhibiting cytokinesis results in CEP164C acquisition on the new flagellum once it reaches the old flagellum length. These results provide the first insight into the molecular mechanisms regulating flagella growth in cells that must maintain existing flagella while growing new flagella.

Trypanosomes have divergent kinesin-2 proteins that function differentially in flagellum biosynthesis and cell viability

Trypanosoma brucei, the causative agent of African sleeping sickness, has a flagellum that is crucial for motility, pathogenicity, and viability. In most eukaryotes, the intraflagellar transport (IFT) machinery drives flagellum biogenesis, and anterograde IFT requires kinesin-2 motor proteins. In this study, we investigated the function of the two T. brucei kinesin-2 proteins, TbKin2a and TbKin2b, in bloodstream form trypanosomes. We found that, compared to kinesin-2 proteins across other phyla, TbKin2a and TbKin2b show greater variation in neck, stalk and tail domain sequences. Both kinesins contributed additively to flagellar lengthening. Silencing TbKin2a inhibited cell proliferation, cytokinesis and motility, whereas silencing TbKin2b did not. TbKin2a was localized on the flagellum and colocalized with IFT components near the basal body, consistent with it performing a role in IFT. TbKin2a was also detected on the flagellar attachment zone, a specialized structure that connects the flagellum to the cell body. Our results indicate that kinesin-2 proteins in trypanosomes play conserved roles in flagellar biosynthesis and exhibit a specialized localization, emphasizing the evolutionary flexibility of motor protein function in an organism with a large complement of kinesins.

Cell Cycle-Dependent Flagellar Disassembly in a Firebug Trypanosomatid Leptomonas pyrrhocoris

Current understanding of flagellum/cilium length regulation focuses on a few model organisms with flagella of uniform length. Leptomonas pyrrhocoris is a monoxenous trypanosomatid parasite of firebugs. When cultivated in vitro, L. pyrrhocoris duplicates every 4.2 ± 0.2 h, representing the shortest doubling time reported for trypanosomatids so far. Each L. pyrrhocoris cell starts its cell cycle with a single flagellum. A new flagellum is assembled de novo, while the old flagellum persists throughout the cell cycle. The flagella in an asynchronous L. pyrrhocoris population exhibited a vast length variation of ∼3 to 24 μm, casting doubt on the presence of a length regulation mechanism based on a single balance point between the assembly and disassembly rate in these cells. Through imaging of live L. pyrrhocoris cells, a rapid, partial disassembly of the existing, old flagellum is observed upon, if not prior to, the initial assembly of a new flagellum. Mathematical modeling demonstrated an inverse correlation between the flagellar growth rate and flagellar length and inferred the presence of distinct, cell cycle-dependent disassembly mechanisms with different rates. On the basis of these observations, we proposed a min-max model that could account for the vast flagellar length range observed for asynchronous L. pyrrhocoris. This model may also apply to other flagellated organisms with flagellar length variation.IMPORTANCE Current understanding of flagellum biogenesis during the cell cycle in trypanosomatids is limited to a few pathogenic species, including Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma cruzi, and Leishmania spp. The most notable characteristics of trypanosomatid flagella studied so far are the extreme stability and lack of ciliary disassembly/absorption during the cell cycle. This is different from cilia in Chlamydomonas and mammalian cells, which undergo complete absorption prior to cell cycle initiation. In this study, we examined flagellum duplication during the cell cycle of Leptomonas pyrrhocoris With the shortest duplication time documented for all Trypanosomatidae and its amenability to culture on agarose gel with limited mobility, we were able to image these cells through the cell cycle. Rapid, cell cycle-specific flagellum disassembly different from turnover was observed for the first time in trypanosomatids. Given the observed length-dependent growth rate and the presence of different disassembly mechanisms, we proposed a min-max model that can account for the flagellar length variation observed in L. pyrrhocoris.

Coordination of the Cell Cycle in Trypanosomes

Trypanosomes have complex life cycles within which there are both proliferative and differentiation cell divisions. The coordination of the cell cycle to achieve these different divisions is critical for the parasite to infect both host and vector. From studying the regulation of the proliferative cell cycle of the Trypanosoma brucei procyclic life cycle stage, three subcycles emerge that control the duplication and segregation of (a) the nucleus, (b) the kinetoplast, and (c) a set of cytoskeletal structures. We discuss how the clear dependency relationships within these subcycles, and the potential for cross talk between them, are likely required for overall cell cycle coordination. Finally, we look at the implications this interdependence has for proliferative and differentiation divisions through the T. brucei life cycle and in related parasitic trypanosomatid species.

Non-equivalence in old- and new-flagellum daughter cells of a proliferative division in Trypanosoma brucei

Differentiation of Trypanosoma brucei, a flagellated protozoan parasite, between life cycle stages typically occurs through an asymmetric cell division process, producing two morphologically distinct daughter cells. Conversely, proliferative cell divisions produce two daughter cells, which look similar but are not identical. To examine in detail differences between the daughter cells of a proliferative division of procyclic T. brucei we used the recently identified constituents of the flagella connector. These segregate asymmetrically during cytokinesis allowing the new‐flagellum and the old‐flagellum daughters to be distinguished. We discovered that there are distinct morphological differences between the two daughters, with the new‐flagellum daughter in particular re‐modelling rapidly and extensively in early G1. This re‐modelling process involves an increase in cell body, flagellum and flagellum attachment zone length and is accompanied by architectural changes to the anterior cell end. The old‐flagellum daughter undergoes a different G1 re‐modelling, however, despite this there was no difference in G1 duration of their respective cell cycles. This work demonstrates that the two daughters of a proliferative division of T. brucei are non‐equivalent and enables more refined morphological analysis of mutant phenotypes. We suggest all proliferative divisions in T. brucei and related organisms will involve non‐equivalence.

Recent advances in trypanosomatid research: genome organization, expression, metabolism, taxonomy and evolution

Unicellular flagellates of the family Trypanosomatidae are obligatory parasites of invertebrates, vertebrates and plants. Dixenous species are aetiological agents of a number of diseases in humans, domestic animals and plants. Their monoxenous relatives are restricted to insects. Because of the high biological diversity, adaptability to dramatically different environmental conditions, and omnipresence, these protists have major impact on all biotic communities that still needs to be fully elucidated. In addition, as these organisms represent a highly divergent evolutionary lineage, they are strikingly different from the common 'model system' eukaryotes, such as some mammals, plants or fungi. A number of excellent reviews, published over the past decade, were dedicated to specialized topics from the areas of trypanosomatid molecular and cell biology, biochemistry, host-parasite relationships or other aspects of these fascinating organisms. However, there is a need for a more comprehensive review that summarizing recent advances in the studies of trypanosomatids in the last 30 years, a task, which we tried to accomplish with the current paper.

Patterns of organelle ontogeny through a cell cycle revealed by whole-cell reconstructions using 3D electron microscopy

The major mammalian bloodstream form of the African sleeping sickness parasite Trypanosoma brucei multiplies rapidly, and it is important to understand how these cells divide. Organelle inheritance involves complex spatiotemporal re-arrangements to ensure correct distribution to daughter cells. Here, serial block face scanning electron microscopy (SBF-SEM) was used to reconstruct whole individual cells at different stages of the cell cycle to give an unprecedented temporal, spatial and quantitative view of organelle division, inheritance and abscission in a eukaryotic cell. Extensive mitochondrial branching occurred only along the ventral surface of the parasite, but the mitochondria returned to a tubular form during cytokinesis. Fission of the mitochondrion occurred within the cytoplasmic bridge during the final stage of cell division, correlating with cell abscission. The nuclei were located underneath each flagellum at mitosis and the mitotic spindle was located along the ventral surface, further demonstrating the asymmetric arrangement of cell cleavage in trypanosomes. Finally, measurements demonstrated that multiple Golgi bodies were accurately positioned along the flagellum attachment zone, suggesting a mechanism for determining the location of Golgi bodies along each flagellum during the cell cycle.

A dynamic coordination of flagellum and cytoplasmic cytoskeleton assembly specifies cell morphogenesis in trypanosomes

Plasma membrane-to-plasma membrane connections are common features of eukaryotic cells, with cytoskeletal frameworks below the respective membranes underpinning these connections. A defining feature of Trypanosoma brucei is the lateral attachment of its single flagellum to the cell body, which is mediated by a cytoskeletal structure called the flagellum attachment zone (FAZ). The FAZ is a key morphogenetic structure. Disruption of FAZ assembly can lead to flagellum detachment and dramatic changes in cell shape. To understand this complex structure, the identity of more of its constituent proteins is required. Here, we have used both proteomics and bioinformatics to identify eight new FAZ proteins. Using inducible expression of FAZ proteins tagged with eYFP we demonstrate that the site of FAZ assembly is close to the flagellar pocket at the proximal end of the FAZ. This contrasts with the flagellum, which is assembled at its distal end; hence, these two interconnected cytoskeletal structures have distinct spatially separated assembly sites. This challenging result has many implications for understanding the process of cell morphogenesis and interpreting mutant phenotypes.

RNA Seq analysis of the Eimeria tenella gametocyte transcriptome reveals clues about the molecular basis for sexual reproduction and oocyst biogenesis

Background

The protozoan Eimeria tenella is a common parasite of chickens, causing avian coccidiosis, a disease of on-going concern to agricultural industries. The high prevalence of E. tenella can be attributed to the resilient oocyst stage, which is transmitted between hosts in the environment. As in related Coccidia, development of the eimerian oocyst appears to be dependent on completion of the parasite’s sexual cycle. RNA Seq transcriptome profiling offers insights into the mechanisms governing the biology of E. tenella sexual stages (gametocytes) and the potential to identify targets for blocking parasite transmission.

Results

Comparisons between the sequenced transcriptomes of E. tenella gametocytes and two asexual developmental stages, merozoites and sporozoites, revealed upregulated gametocyte transcription of 863 genes. Many of these genes code for proteins involved in coccidian sexual biology, such as oocyst wall biosynthesis and fertilisation, and some of these were characterised in more depth. Thus, macrogametocyte-specific expression and localisation was confirmed for two proteins destined for incorporation into the oocyst wall, as well as for a subtilisin protease and an oxidoreductase. Homologues of an oocyst wall protein and oxidoreductase were found in the related coccidian, Toxoplasma gondii, and shown to be macrogametocyte-specific. In addition, a microgametocyte gamete fusion protein, EtHAP2, was discovered.

Conclusions

The need for novel vaccine candidates capable of controlling coccidiosis is rising and this panel of gametocyte targets represents an invaluable resource for development of future strategies to interrupt parasite transmission, not just in Eimeria but in other Coccidia, including Toxoplasma, where transmission blocking is a relatively unexplored strategy.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1298-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Proteomic analysis of intact flagella of procyclic Trypanosoma brucei cells identifies novel flagellar proteins with unique sub-localization and dynamics

Cilia and flagella are complex organelles made of hundreds of proteins of highly variable structures and functions. Here we report the purification of intact flagella from the procyclic stage of Trypanosoma brucei using mechanical shearing. Structural preservation was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy that showed that flagella still contained typical elements such as the membrane, the axoneme, the paraflagellar rod, and the intraflagellar transport particles. It also revealed that flagella severed below the basal body, and were not contaminated by other cytoskeletal structures such as the flagellar pocket collar or the adhesion zone filament. Mass spectrometry analysis identified a total of 751 proteins with high confidence, including 88% of known flagellar components. Comparison with the cell debris fraction revealed that more than half of the flagellum markers were enriched in flagella and this enrichment criterion was taken into account to identify 212 proteins not previously reported to be associated to flagella. Nine of these were experimentally validated including a 14-3-3 protein not yet reported to be associated to flagella and eight novel proteins termed FLAM (FLAgellar Member). Remarkably, they localized to five different subdomains of the flagellum. For example, FLAM6 is restricted to the proximal half of the axoneme, no matter its length. In contrast, FLAM8 is progressively accumulating at the distal tip of growing flagella and half of it still needs to be added after cell division. A combination of RNA interference and Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching approaches demonstrated very different dynamics from one protein to the other, but also according to the stage of construction and the age of the flagellum. Structural proteins are added to the distal tip of the elongating flagellum and exhibit slow turnover whereas membrane proteins such as the arginine kinase show rapid turnover without a detectible polarity.

Modes of flagellar assembly in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Trypanosoma brucei

Defects in flagella growth are related to a number of human diseases. Central to flagellar growth is the organization of microtubules that polymerize from basal bodies to form the axoneme, which consists of hundreds of proteins. Flagella exist in all eukaryotic phyla, but neither the mechanism by which flagella grow nor the conservation of this process in evolution are known. Here, we study how protein complexes assemble onto the growing axoneme tip using (cryo) electron tomography. In Chlamydomonas reinhardtii microtubules and associated proteins are added simultaneously. However, in Trypanosoma brucei, disorganized arrays of microtubules are arranged into the axoneme structure by the later addition of preformed protein complexes. Post assembly, the T. brucei transition zone alters structure and its association with the central pair loosens. We conclude that there are multiple ways to form a flagellum and that species-specific structural knowledge is critical before evaluating flagellar defects.

DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01479.001

Some cells have a whip-like appendage called a flagellum. This is most often used to propel the cell, notably in sperm cells, but it can also be involved in sensing cues in the surrounding environment. Flagella are found in all three domains of life—the eukaryotes (which include the animals), bacteria and ancient, single-celled organisms called Archaea—and they perform similar functions in each domain. However, they also differ significantly in their protein composition, overall structure, and mechanism of propulsion.

The core of the flagellum in eukaryotes is made up of 20 hollow filaments called ‘microtubules’ arranged so that nine pairs of microtubules form a ring around two central microtubules. The core also contains many other proteins, but it is not clear how all these components come together to make a working flagellum. Moreover, it is not known if the flagella of different groups of eukaryotes are all assembled in the same way.

Now, Höög et al. have discovered that although the core structure of the eukaryote flagellum is highly conserved, it can be assembled in markedly different ways. Some species of eukaryote—such as Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a single-celled green alga, and Trypanosoma brucei, the protist parasite that causes African sleeping sickness—must grow new flagella when their cells divide, so that each new cell can swim. Using a form of electron microscopy called electron tomography, Höög et al. could see the detailed structure of the growing flagella in three dimensions. At first the cores of the flagella in these two distantly related species grow in the same way. However as the flagella get longer their cores grow in completely different ways. The microtubule filaments in longer flagella grow in a synchronized manner in the alga, but in a disorganized way in the protist.

The results of Höög et al. illustrate that it is not advisable to draw generalised conclusions based on studies of a few model species. However, since defects in flagella are known to cause several diseases in humans, this knowledge might inform future studies aimed at developing treatments for infertility, respiratory problems, and certain kinds of cancer.

DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01479.002

Giardia intestinalis incorporates heme into cytosolic cytochrome b₅

The anaerobic intestinal pathogen Giardia intestinalis does not possess enzymes for heme synthesis, and it also lacks the typical set of hemoproteins that are involved in mitochondrial respiration and cellular oxygen stress management. Nevertheless, G. intestinalis may require heme for the function of particular hemoproteins, such as cytochrome b5 (cytb5). We have analyzed the sequences of eukaryotic cytb5 proteins and identified three distinct cytb5 groups: group I, which consists of C-tail membrane-anchored cytb5 proteins; group II, which includes soluble cytb5 proteins; and group III, which comprises the fungal cytb5 proteins. The majority of eukaryotes possess both group I and II cytb5 proteins, whereas three Giardia paralogs belong to group II. We have identified a fourth Giardia cytb5 paralog (gCYTb5-IV) that is rather divergent and possesses an unusual 134-residue N-terminal extension. Recombinant Giardia cytb5 proteins, including gCYTb5-IV, were expressed in Escherichia coli and exhibited characteristic UV-visible spectra that corresponded to heme-loaded cytb5 proteins. The expression of the recombinant gCYTb5-IV in G. intestinalis resulted in the increased import of extracellular heme and its incorporation into the protein, whereas this effect was not observed when gCYTb5-IV containing a mutated heme-binding site was expressed. The electrons for Giardia cytb5 proteins may be provided by the NADPH-dependent Tah18-like oxidoreductase GiOR-1. Therefore, GiOR-1 and cytb5 may constitute a novel redox system in G. intestinalis. To our knowledge, G. intestinalis is the first anaerobic eukaryote in which the presence of heme has been directly demonstrated.

The limits on trypanosomatid morphological diversity

Cell shape is one, often overlooked, way in which protozoan parasites have adapted to a variety of host and vector environments and directional transmissions between these environments. Consequently, different parasite life cycle stages have characteristic morphologies. Trypanosomatid parasites are an excellent example of this in which large morphological variations between species and life cycle stage occur, despite sharing well-conserved cytoskeletal and membranous structures. Here, using previously published reports in the literature of the morphology of 248 isolates of trypanosomatid species from different hosts, we perform a meta-analysis of the occurrence and limits on morphological diversity of different classes of trypanosomatid morphology (trypomastigote, promastigote, etc.) in the vertebrate bloodstream and invertebrate gut environments. We identified several limits on cell body length, cell body width and flagellum length diversity which can be interpreted as biomechanical limits on the capacity of the cell to attain particular dimensions. These limits differed for morphologies with and without a laterally attached flagellum which we suggest represent two morphological superclasses, the ‘juxtaform’ and ‘liberform’ superclasses. Further limits were identified consistent with a selective pressure from the mechanical properties of the vertebrate bloodstream environment; trypanosomatid size showed limits relative to host erythrocyte dimensions. This is the first comprehensive analysis of the limits of morphological diversity in any protozoan parasite, revealing the morphogenetic constraints and extrinsic selection pressures associated with the full diversity of trypanosomatid morphology.

Cytokinesis in Trypanosoma brucei differs between bloodstream and tsetse trypomastigote forms: implications for microtubule-based morphogenesis and mutant analysis

Trypanosomes use a microtubule‐focused mechanism for cell morphogenesis and cytokinesis. We used scanning electron and video microscopy of living cells to provide the first detailed description of cell morphogenesis and cytokinesis in the early‐branching eukaryote Trypanosoma brucei. We outline four distinct stages of cytokinesis and show that an asymmetric division fold bisects the two daughter cells, with a cytoplasmic bridge‐like structure connecting the two daughters immediately prior to abscission. Using detection of tyrosinated α‐tubulin as a marker for new or growing microtubules and expression of XMAP215, a plus end binding protein, as a marker for microtubule plus ends we demonstrate spatial asymmetry in the underlying microtubule cytoskeleton throughout the cell division cycle. This leads to inheritance of different microtubule cytoskeletal patterns and demonstrates the major role of microtubules in achieving cytokinesis. RNA interference techniques have led to a large set of mutants, often with variations in phenotype between procyclic and bloodstream life cycle forms. Here, we show morphogenetic differences between these two life cycle forms of this parasite during new flagellum growth and cytokinesis. These discoveries are important tools to explain differences between bloodstream and procyclic form RNAi phenotypes involving organelle mis‐positioning during cell division and cytokinesis defects.

More than meets the eye: understanding Trypanosoma brucei morphology in the tsetse

T. brucei, the causative parasite for African trypanosomiasis, faces an interesting dilemma in its life cycle. It has to successfully complete its infection cycle in the tsetse vector to be able to infect other vertebrate hosts. T. brucei has to undergo multiple morphological changes as it invades the alimentary canal of the tsetse to finally achieve infectivity in the salivary glands. In this review, we attempt to elucidate how these morphological changes are possible for a parasite that has evolved a highly robust cell structure to survive the chemically and physically diverse environments it finds itself in. To achieve this, we juxtaposed the experimental evidence that has been collected from T. brucei forms that are cultured in vitro with the observations that have been carried out on tsetse-infective forms in vivo. Although the accumulated knowledge on T. brucei biology is by no means trivial, several outstanding questions remain for how the parasite mechanistically changes its morphology as it traverses the tsetse and how those changes are triggered. However, we conclude that with recent breakthroughs allowing for the replication of the tsetse-infection process of T. brucei in vitro, these outstanding questions can finally be addressed.

Aerobic kinetoplastid flagellate Phytomonas does not require heme for viability

Heme is an iron-coordinated porphyrin that is universally essential as a protein cofactor for fundamental cellular processes, such as electron transport in the respiratory chain, oxidative stress response, or redox reactions in various metabolic pathways. Parasitic kinetoplastid flagellates represent a rare example of organisms that depend on oxidative metabolism but are heme auxotrophs. Here, we show that heme is fully dispensable for the survival of Phytomonas serpens, a plant parasite. Seeking to understand the metabolism of this heme-free eukaryote, we searched for heme-containing proteins in its de novo sequenced genome and examined several cellular processes for which heme has so far been considered indispensable. We found that P. serpens lacks most of the known hemoproteins and does not require heme for electron transport in the respiratory chain, protection against oxidative stress, or desaturation of fatty acids. Although heme is still required for the synthesis of ergosterol, its precursor, lanosterol, is instead incorporated into the membranes of P. serpens grown in the absence of heme. In conclusion, P. serpens is a flagellate with unique metabolic adaptations that allow it to bypass all requirements for heme.

The cell cycle of Leishmania: morphogenetic events and their implications for parasite biology

The cell cycle is central to understanding fundamental biology of Leishmania, a group of human-infective protozoan parasites. Leishmania have two main life cycle morphologies: the intracellular amastigote in the mammalian host and the promastigote in the fly. We have produced the first comprehensive and quantitative description of a Leishmania promastigote cell cycle taking a morphometric approach to position any cell within the cell cycle based on its length and DNA content. We describe timings of cell cycle phases and rates of morphological changes; kinetoplast and nucleus S phase, division and position, cell body growth and morphology changes, flagellum growth and basal body duplication. We have shown that Leishmania mexicana undergoes large changes in morphology through the cell cycle and that the wide range of morphologies present in cultures during exponential growth represent different cell cycle stages. We also show promastigote flagellum growth occurs over multiple cell cycles. There are clear implications for the mechanisms of flagellum length regulation, life cycle stage differentiation and trypanosomatid division in general. This data set therefore provides a platform which will be of use for post-genomic analyses of Leishmania cell biology in relation to differentiation and infection.

Assembly of the flagellum and its role in cell morphogenesis in Trypanosoma brucei

Eukaryotic flagella are microtubule-based structures required for a variety of functions including cell motility and sensory perception. Most eukaryotic flagella grow out from a cell into the surrounding medium, but when the flagellum of the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma brucei exits the cell via the flagellar pocket, it is attached along the length of the cell body by a cytoskeletal structure called the flagellum attachment zone (FAZ). The exact reasons for flagellum attachment have remained elusive, but evidence is emerging that the attached flagellum plays a major role in cell morphogenesis in this organism. In this review we discuss evidence published in the past four years that is unravelling the role of the flagellum in organelle segregation, inheritance of cell shape and cytokinesis.

The paraflagellar rod of kinetoplastid parasites: from structure to components and function

The role of the eukaryotic flagellum in cell motility is well established but its importance in many other aspects of cell biology, from cell signalling to developmental regulation, is becoming increasingly apparent. In addition to this diversity of function the core structure of the flagellum, which has been inherited from the earliest ancestor of all eukaryotes, is embellished with a range of extra-axonemal structures in many organisms. One of the best studied of these structures is the paraflagellar rod of kinetoplastid protozoa in which the morphological characteristics have been well defined and some of the major protein constituents have been identified. Here we discuss recent advances in the identification of further molecular components of the paraflagellar rod, how these impact on our understanding of its function and regulation and the implications for therapeutic intervention in a number of devastating human pathologies.