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Subpellicular Microtubules in Apicomplexa and Trypanosomatids

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Structures and Organelles in Pathogenic Protists

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

Abstract

The cytoskeleton plays a fundamental role in various processes such as the establishment of cell shape, cell locomotion, and the intracellular motility of various structures found in eukaryotic cells. Microtubules are among the most conspicuous structures in the cytoskeleton. They can be found free in the cytoplasm, forming the mitotic spindle or assembled in various structures. A special type of microtubule arrangement is found in some protozoa, whereby they are organized as a single layer located immediately below the plasma membrane, constituting what is generally referred to as subpellicular microtubules. This special array of microtubules is found in members of the Kinetoplastida family and in the Apicomplexa phylum. Here, we review basic aspects of subpellicular microtubules, emphasizing their visualization as a whole network, their structural organization, their heterogeneity as analyzed using an immunocytochemical approach, some of their biochemical properties, and their sensitivity to drugs, as well as their functional role.

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Acknowledgments

The work carried out at the authors’ laboratory was supported by CNPq/MCT, FINEP, CAPES, DECIT, and FAPERJ.

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  1. Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade and Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CCS-Bloco G, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-900, Brazil

    Wanderley de Souza & Marcia Attias

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  1. Wanderley de Souza
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  2. Marcia Attias
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Correspondence to Wanderley de Souza .

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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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de Souza, W., Attias, M. (2010). Subpellicular Microtubules in Apicomplexa and Trypanosomatids. 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_2

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