The Kinetoplast of Trypanosomatids: From Early Studies of Electron Microscopy to Recent Advances in Atomic Force Microscopy
Joint Authors
Cavalcanti, Danielle Pereira
de Souza, Wanderley
Source
Issue
Vol. 2018, Issue 2018 (31 Dec. 2018), pp.1-10, 10 p.
Publisher
Hindawi Publishing Corporation
Publication Date
2018-06-19
Country of Publication
Egypt
No. of Pages
10
Main Subjects
Information Technology and Computer Science
Abstract EN
The kinetoplast is a specialized region of the mitochondria of trypanosomatids that harbors the most complex and unusual mitochondrial DNA found in nature.
Kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) is composed of thousands of circular molecules topologically interlocked to form a single network.
Two types of DNA circles are present in the kinetoplast: minicircles (0.5–10 kb) and maxicircles (20–40 kb).
Knowledge of kinetoplast architecture is crucial to understanding the replication and segregation of kDNA circles because the molecules involved in these processes are precisely positioned in functional domains throughout the kinetoplast.
The fine structure of the kinetoplast was revealed in early electron microscopy (EM) studies.
However, an understanding of the topological organization of kDNA was only demonstrated after the development of protocols to separate kDNA from nuclear DNA, followed by EM observations.
Electron microscopy analysis of thin sections of trypanosomatids, spreading of isolated kDNA networks onto EM grids, deep-etching studies, and cytochemical and immunocytochemical approaches are examples of techniques that were useful for elucidating the structure and replication of the kinetoplast.
Recently, atomic force microscopy has joined this set of techniques and improved our knowledge about the kDNA network and revealed new details about kDNA topology in trypanosomatids.
American Psychological Association (APA)
Cavalcanti, Danielle Pereira& de Souza, Wanderley. 2018. The Kinetoplast of Trypanosomatids: From Early Studies of Electron Microscopy to Recent Advances in Atomic Force Microscopy. Scanning،Vol. 2018, no. 2018, pp.1-10.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1213025
Modern Language Association (MLA)
Cavalcanti, Danielle Pereira& de Souza, Wanderley. The Kinetoplast of Trypanosomatids: From Early Studies of Electron Microscopy to Recent Advances in Atomic Force Microscopy. Scanning No. 2018 (2018), pp.1-10.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1213025
American Medical Association (AMA)
Cavalcanti, Danielle Pereira& de Souza, Wanderley. The Kinetoplast of Trypanosomatids: From Early Studies of Electron Microscopy to Recent Advances in Atomic Force Microscopy. Scanning. 2018. Vol. 2018, no. 2018, pp.1-10.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1213025
Data Type
Journal Articles
Language
English
Notes
Includes bibliographical references
Record ID
BIM-1213025