title: Isolation of mitochondria from procyclic Trypanosoma brucei.
abstract: The mitochondrion of the parasitic protozoon Trypanosoma brucei shows a number of unique features, many of which represent highly interesting research topics. Studies of these subjects require the purification of mitochondrial fractions. Here, we describe and discuss the two most commonly used methods to isolate mitochondria from insect stage T. brucei. In the first protocol, the cells are lysed under hypotonic conditions, and mitoplast vesicles are isolated on Percoll gradients; in the second method, lysis occurs isotonically by N2 cavitation, and the mitochondrial vesicles are isolated by Nycodenz gradient centrifugation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Switzerland.
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: Fabien
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Charrière
authors.forename: Mascha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pusnik
authors.forename: Elke K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Horn
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002458:Cell Fractionation / Q000379:methods*; D007038:Hypotonic Solutions; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism*; D014346:Trypanosoma brucei brucei / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D007038:Hypotonic Solutions