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Structures and Organelles in Pathogenic Protists pp 1–26Cite as

The Mastigont System in Trichomonads

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Part of the book series: Microbiology Monographs ((MICROMONO,volume 17))

Abstract

Trichomonads are protists that are found in several environments. Some of them are parasites, whereas others live in the gut of different animals without provoking any apparent infection. The trichomonad mastigont system is formed by the basal bodies and several structures composed of rootlets and proteinaceous fibrils; the function of many of these structures is not yet determined. The main structures in the mastigont system consist of the following: the pelta–axostyle system, made of microtubules; the costa, a periodic rootlet; the parabasal and sigmoid filaments; and several other filaments. The axostyle supports the axis of the cell and participates in karyokinesis, the costa supports the flagellar movements of the recurrent flagellum, and several fibrils provide an anchoring system for the Golgi and the nucleus. The pelta, a microtubular structure, supports the flagellar canal. The trichomonad mastigont system has been studied with different techniques such as plasma membrane extraction, high-voltage electron microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, the cell-sandwich technique, freeze-etching, and immunocytochemistry.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ), Programa de Núcleos de Excelência (PRONEX), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Ensino Superior (CAPES), and Associação Universitária Santa Úrsula (AUSU).

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  1. Universidade Santa Úrsula, Rua Jornalista Orlando Dantas 59, 222-31-010, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Marlene Benchimol

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  1. Marlene Benchimol
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Correspondence to Marlene Benchimol .

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  1. Inst. Biofisica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, 21949-900, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    W. de Souza

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Benchimol, M. (2010). The Mastigont System in Trichomonads. In: de Souza, W. (eds) Structures and Organelles in Pathogenic Protists. Microbiology Monographs, vol 17. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-12863-9_1

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