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Flagellar membrane proteins in kinetoplastid parasites
Author(s) -
Landfear Scott M.,
Tran Khoa D.,
Sanchez Marco A.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
iubmb life
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.132
H-Index - 113
eISSN - 1521-6551
pISSN - 1521-6543
DOI - 10.1002/iub.1411
Subject(s) - flagellum , biology , trypanosoma brucei , microbiology and biotechnology , organelle , protozoa , trypanosoma cruzi , membrane protein , leishmania , membrane , biochemistry , bacteria , parasite hosting , genetics , world wide web , computer science , gene
All kinetoplastid parasites, including protozoa such as Leishmania species, Trypanosoma brucei , and Trypanosoma cruzi that cause devastating diseases in humans and animals, are flagellated throughout their life cycles. Although flagella were originally thought of primarily as motility organelles, flagellar functions in other critical processes, especially in sensing and signal transduction, have become more fully appreciated in the recent past. The flagellar membrane is a highly specialized subdomain of the surface membrane, and flagellar membrane proteins are likely to be critical components for all the biologically important roles of flagella. In this review, we summarize recent discoveries relevant to flagellar membrane proteins in these parasites, including the identification of such proteins, investigation of their biological functions, and mechanisms of selective trafficking to the flagellar membrane. Prospects for future investigations and current unsolved problems are highlighted. © 2015 IUBMB Life, 67(9):668–676, 2015