Abstract
African trypanosomes are protozoan parasites that cause sleeping sickness in humans through a tsetse fly vector. The procyclic form of Trypanosoma brucei has a single, attached flagellum that describes a helical path along the cell from posterior to anterior. During division, a specific flagellum-flagellum connection is elaborated between the new and old flagellum. This connector was present only during cell duplication and was found to be involved in the replication of the helical cell pattern and polarity. This finding implicates the concept of cytotaxis in cell morphogenesis in trypanosomes.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Animals
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Calcium / pharmacology
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Cell Division*
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Cytoplasm / physiology
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Cytoskeleton / ultrastructure
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Flagella / physiology
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Flagella / ultrastructure*
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Gene Silencing
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Membrane Glycoproteins / genetics
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Membrane Glycoproteins / metabolism
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Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
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Microtubules / ultrastructure
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Morphogenesis
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Protozoan Proteins / genetics
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Protozoan Proteins / metabolism
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RNA, Double-Stranded / genetics
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Transfection
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Trypanosoma brucei brucei / growth & development
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Trypanosoma brucei brucei / physiology*
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Trypanosoma brucei brucei / ultrastructure*
Substances
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Fla1 protein, Trypanosoma
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Membrane Glycoproteins
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Protozoan Proteins
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RNA, Double-Stranded
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Calcium