Mitochondrial dynamics in parasitic protists

PLoS Pathog. 2019 Nov 21;15(11):e1008008. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008008. eCollection 2019 Nov.

Abstract

The shape and number of mitochondria respond to the metabolic needs during the cell cycle of the eukaryotic cell. In the best-studied model systems of animals and fungi, the cells contain many mitochondria, each carrying its own nucleoid. The organelles, however, mostly exist as a dynamic network, which undergoes constant cycles of division and fusion. These mitochondrial dynamics are driven by intricate protein machineries centered around dynamin-related proteins (DRPs). Here, we review recent advances on the dynamics of mitochondria and mitochondrion-related organelles (MROs) of parasitic protists. In contrast to animals and fungi, many parasitic protists from groups of Apicomplexa or Kinetoplastida carry only a single mitochondrion with a single nucleoid. In these groups, mitochondrial division is strictly coupled to the cell cycle, and the morphology of the organelle responds to the cell differentiation during the parasite life cycle. On the other hand, anaerobic parasitic protists such as Giardia, Entamoeba, and Trichomonas contain multiple MROs that have lost their organellar genomes. We discuss the function of DRPs, the occurrence of mitochondrial fusion, and mitophagy in the parasitic protists from the perspective of eukaryote evolution.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Mitochondrial Dynamics*
  • Parasites / pathogenicity*
  • Parasitic Diseases / epidemiology*
  • Parasitic Diseases / parasitology
  • Parasitic Diseases / physiopathology*

Grants and funding

The project was supported by PRIMUS grant from Charles University Grant Agency PRIMUS/SCV34 https://cuni.cz/UKEN-65.html, National Sustainability Program II (Project BIOCEV-FAR, LQ1604) by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of CR (MEYS) http://www.msmt.cz/?lang=2, Centre for research of pathogenicity and virulence of parasites (No. CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_019/0000759) funded by European Regional Development Fund, and MEYS https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/funding/erdf, http://www.msmt.cz/?lang=2. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.