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Flagellar motility is required for the viability of the bloodstream trypanosome

Author

Listed:
  • Richard Broadhead

    (Lancaster University)

  • Helen R. Dawe

    (University of Oxford)

  • Helen Farr

    (University of Oxford)

  • Samantha Griffiths

    (University of Oxford)

  • Sarah R. Hart

    (University of Manchester)

  • Neil Portman

    (University of Oxford)

  • Michael K. Shaw

    (University of Oxford)

  • Michael L. Ginger

    (University of Oxford)

  • Simon J. Gaskell

    (University of Manchester)

  • Paul G. McKean

    (Lancaster University)

  • Keith Gull

    (University of Oxford)

Abstract

Point of attack There is little hope for a vaccine for African sleeping sickness, and most of the drugs currently used to treat it are old, not particularly effective and difficult to use in the conditions that prevail in sub-Saharan Africa, where the disease is endemic. So the discovery of a new class of molecule that might be targeted by drug intervention could be an important boost to the field. The sleeping sickness parasite Trypanosoma brucei is a protozoon equipped with a whip-like flagellum. RNA interference (RNAi) knock-down experiments show that a functioning flagellum is essential for Trypanosoma's survival in the bloodstream. That makes the flagellum a possible point of therapeutic attack, and proteomic analysis points to a number of trypanosome-specific flagellar proteins that could be targeted. On the cover, monstrous cells of bloodstream-form trypanosomes formed by a failure of cell division in cells with defective flagella.

Suggested Citation

  • Richard Broadhead & Helen R. Dawe & Helen Farr & Samantha Griffiths & Sarah R. Hart & Neil Portman & Michael K. Shaw & Michael L. Ginger & Simon J. Gaskell & Paul G. McKean & Keith Gull, 2006. "Flagellar motility is required for the viability of the bloodstream trypanosome," Nature, Nature, vol. 440(7081), pages 224-227, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:440:y:2006:i:7081:d:10.1038_nature04541
    DOI: 10.1038/nature04541
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    Cited by:

    1. Michelle M. Shimogawa & Angeline S. Wijono & Hui Wang & Jiayan Zhang & Jihui Sha & Natasha Szombathy & Sabeeca Vadakkan & Paula Pelayo & Keya Jonnalagadda & James Wohlschlegel & Z. Hong Zhou & Kent L., 2023. "FAP106 is an interaction hub for assembling microtubule inner proteins at the cilium inner junction," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-12, December.
    2. Catarina A. Marques & Melanie Ridgway & Michele Tinti & Andrew Cassidy & David Horn, 2022. "Genome-scale RNA interference profiling of Trypanosoma brucei cell cycle progression defects," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-16, December.

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