Protein Kinase Involved in Flagellar-Length Control

• DOI: 10.1128/ec.2.4.769-777.2003
• Publication Date: 2003-08-12T02:33:26Z
• Authors: Martin Wiese; Daniela Kuhn; Christoph G. Grü...
• Keywords: Axoneme; Leishmania mexicana

ABSTRACT During its life cycle, the parasitic protozoon Leishmania mexicana differentiates from a flagellated form, promastigote, to an amastigote form carrying rudimentary flagellum. Besides biochemical changes, this process involves change in overall cell morphology including flagellar shortening. A mitogen-activated protein kinase homologue designated LmxMKK was identified homology screening and found be critically involved regulation of assembly size. is exclusively expressed promastigote stage likely regulated by posttranslational mechanisms such as phosphorylation. deletion mutant for single-copy gene revealed motile flagella dramatically reduced length lacking paraflagellar rod, structure adjacent axoneme kinetoplastid flagella. Moreover, fraction cells showed perturbance axonemal structure. Complementation with wild-type restored typical morphology. We propose that influences anterograde intraflagellar transport maintain promastigotes; such, it first known organellar assembly.