title: Acidocalcisomes of Phytomonas françai possess distinct morphological characteristics and contain iron.
abstract: Acidocalcisomes are acidic calcium storage compartments described initially in trypanosomatid and apicomplexan parasites, and recently found in other unicellular eukaryotes. The aim of this study was to identify the presence of acidocalcisomes in the plant trypanosomatid Phytomonas françai. Electron-dense organelles of P. françai were shown to contain large amounts of oxygen, sodium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, iron, and zinc as determined by X-ray microanalysis, either in situ or when purified using iodixanol gradient centrifugation or by elemental mapping. The presence of iron is not common in other acidocalcisomes. In situ, but not when purified, these organelles showed an elongated shape differing from previously described acidocalcisomes. However, these organelles also possessed a vacuolar H+-pyrophosphatase (V-H+-PPase) as determined by biochemical methods and by immunofluorescence microscopy using antibodies against the enzyme. Together, these results suggest that the electron-dense organelles of P. françai are homologous to the acidocalcisomes described in other trypanosomatids, although with distinct morphology and elemental content.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Brigadeiro Trompovski, s/n., bloco G, Cidade Universitária, 21949-900, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Kildare
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miranda
authors.forename: Claudia O
authors.initials: CO
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hentchel
authors.forename: Anibal
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vercesi
authors.forename: Helmut
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Plattner
authors.forename: Wanderley
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: de Souza
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Docampo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism*; D002365:Manihot / Q000469:parasitology*; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D015388:Organelles / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D014351:Trypanosomatina / Q000648:ultrastructure*
chemical_list: D007501:Iron; D002118:Calcium