Kinetoplastid
Flagellated protists with a distinctive kinetoplast organelle.
Kinetoplastids are a group of flagellated protists belonging to the phylum Euglenozoa, characterized by the presence of a distinctive organelle called the kinetoplast, a granule containing a large mass of DNA. The group includes a number of parasites responsible for serious diseases in humans and other animals, as well as various forms found in soil and aquatic environments. They are commonly referred to as 'kinetoplastids' or 'kinetoplasts'.
- classification
- Phylum Euglenozoa, class Kinetoplastea or order Kinetoplastida
- defining feature
- Kinetoplast organelle (dense DNA-containing granule in mitochondrion)
- subgroups
- Subclasses Metakinetoplastina and Prokinetoplastina; includes orders Trypanosomatida and Bodonida
- notable genera
- Trypanosoma, Leishmania, Bodo, Cryptobia
- habitat
- Soil, aquatic environments, and as parasites in humans and animals
Lore & Background
The kinetoplastids were first defined by Bronislaw M. They are traditionally divided into the biflagellate Bodonidae and uniflagellate Trypanosomatidae; the former appears to be paraphyletic to the latter. One family, the trypanosomatids, is notable as it includes several genera which are exclusively parasitic. Bodo is a typical genus within kinetoplastida, which also includes various common free-living species that feed on bacteria. Others include Cryptobia and the parasitic Leishmania.
Reader's Guide
Kinetoplastids are significant primarily because they include several genera of parasites that cause serious diseases in humans and other animals, such as sleeping sickness and Chagas disease (caused by species of Trypanosoma) and leishmaniasis (caused by species of Leishmania). Their defining feature, the kinetoplast, is a dense granule of concatenated circular DNA molecules within the cell's single mitochondrion, located at the base of the flagella. The group also includes free-living forms found in soil and water. Their cytoskeleton features a highly regular sub-pellicular array of microtubules, and they possess one or two flagella used for locomotion and attachment. Some species, such as Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania major, are capable of meiotic processes likely part of a sexual cycle.
Did You Know?
- The kinetoplast is a dense DNA-containing granule within the cell's single mitochondrion, made up of a network of concatenated circular DNA molecules.
- Kinetoplastids are traditionally divided into the biflagellate Bodonidae and uniflagellate Trypanosomatidae, with the former appearing paraphyletic to the latter.
- Diseases caused by members of the order Trypanosomatida include sleeping sickness, Chagas disease, and leishmaniasis.
- Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania major are capable of meiotic processes that are likely part of a sexual cycle.
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