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First published online April 1, 2009

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The flagellar pocket in 3D

Kinetoplastid parasites such as trypanosomes contain a specialised plasma-membrane domain known as the flagellar pocket – a bulbous invagination of the membrane at the site where the flagellum exits the cell body. The pocket is the sole site of trypanosome exo- and endocytosis, and has important roles in immune evasion; however, a detailed understanding of its architecture has been lacking. Now, Keith Gull and colleagues (p. 1081) use electron tomography, modelling and iterative testing to develop a detailed three-dimensional (3D) model of the flagellar pocket, and its associated cytoskeleton, in Trypanosoma brucei (which causes African sleeping sickness). The authors show that the pocket is asymmetrical, and that this asymmetry correlates with the position of the probasal body and the Golgi complex. They identify several novel pocket-associated structures, and describe the organisation of numerous aspects of the flagellar pocket – these include the collar and collarette (two boundary structures that associate with the entry and exit points of the flagellum), the neck region and the overall cytoskeletal structure. Their tomographic analysis enhances our understanding of the structural organisation of the flagellar pocket, and should inform future studies of its function.

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Related articles in JCS:

Three-dimensional cellular architecture of the flagellar pocket and associated cytoskeleton in trypanosomes revealed by electron microscope tomography

Sylvain Lacomble, Sue Vaughan, Catarina Gadelha, Mary K. Morphew, Michael K. Shaw, J. Richard McIntosh, and Keith Gull
JCS 2009 122: 1081-1090. [Abstract] [Full Text]  

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Related articles in JCS Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?