title: Acidocalcisomes - conserved from bacteria to man.
abstract: Recent work has shown that acidocalcisomes, which are electron-dense acidic organelles rich in calcium and polyphosphate, are the only organelles that have been conserved during evolution from prokaryotes to eukaryotes. Acidocalcisomes were first described in trypanosomatids and have been characterized in most detail in these species. Acidocalcisomes have been linked with several functions, including storage of cations and phosphorus, polyphosphate metabolism, calcium homeostasis, maintenance of intracellular pH homeostasis and osmoregulation. Here, we review acidocalcisome ultrastructure, composition and function in different trypanosomatids and other organisms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular Biology and Center for Tropical and Global Emerging Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA. rdocampo@cb.uga.edu
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Docampo
authors.forename: Wanderley
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: de Souza
authors.forename: Kildare
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miranda
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rohloff
authors.forename: Silvia N J
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Moreno
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007425:Intracellular Membranes / Q000502:physiology; D016623:Ion Pumps / Q000502:physiology; D015388:Organelles / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010802:Phylogeny; D011122:Polyphosphates / Q000378:metabolism*; D014351:Trypanosomatina / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D014882:Water-Electrolyte Balance / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D016623:Ion Pumps; D011122:Polyphosphates; D002118:Calcium