title: Isolation and characterization of flagella from Trichomonas vaginalis.
abstract: As a first step in the biochemical and biomedical analyses of flagella from Trichomonas vaginalis the flagella were isolated, purified, and analyzed. The flagella were detached by mechanical shearing and a crude flagellar preparation was obtained by low-speed differential centrifugation. The crude flagellar preparation was subjected to further purification by discontinuous sucrose density-gradient centrifugation. Electron micrographs (EM) of the purified flagella showed the typical 9 + 2 axonemal arrangement. The structural integrity and the flagellar membrane were not destroyed by the deflagellation method or the purification scheme employed. The flagellar preparations were resolved by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The purified preparation contained many flagellar enriched proteins ranging from 20 to 120 kDa. Three major proteins of 65 kDa and a doublet of about 50-58 kDa were observed. The protein patterns and EM appearance of the fractions were highly reproducible.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Jackson State University, MS 39217, USA.
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Jemilohun
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002499:Centrifugation, Density Gradient; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005407:Flagella / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008970:Molecular Weight; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014246:Trichomonas vaginalis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000254:growth & development / Q000648:ultrastructure*
chemical_list: D015800:Protozoan Proteins