Malleable Mitochondrion of Trypanosoma brucei

• Published in: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology Vol. 315; pp. 73 - 151
• Main Authors: Verner, Zdeněk, Basu, Somsuvro, Benz, Corinna, Dixit, Sameer, Dobáková, Eva, Faktorová, Drahomíra, Hashimi, Hassan, Horáková, Eva, Huang, Zhenqiu, Paris, Zdeněk, Peña-Diaz, Priscila, Ridlon, Lucie, Týč, Jiří, Wildridge, David, Zíková, Alena, Lukeš, Julius
• Format: Book Chapter Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Science & Technology 2015
• Subjects: Animals; Biological Transport; Cellular biology; DNA, Mitochondrial - genetics; Humans; Mitochondria - metabolism; Mitochondrial Dynamics; Mitochondrial Proteins - metabolism; Molecular biology; Trypanosoma brucei brucei - genetics; Trypanosoma brucei brucei - metabolism; Mitochondrion; Kinetoplast; T. brucei; RNA import; Mitochondrial transport; Metabolism; kDNA; Trypanosome
• ISBN: 0128022825; 9780128022825
• ISSN: 1937-6448
• DOI: 10.1016/bs.ircmb.2014.11.001

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.