Trypanosomes and mammalian sperm: one of a kind?

• Published in: Trends in parasitology Vol. 23; no. 2; pp. 71 - 77
• Main Authors: Oberholzer, Michael, Bregy, Patrick, Marti, Gabriela, Minca, Mihaela, Peier, Martin, Seebeck, Thomas
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-02-2007; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Cell Movement - physiology; Flagella - metabolism; Flagella - physiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gastroenterology and Hepatology; General aspects and techniques; Glycolysis; Humans; Infectious Disease; Male; Mammalia; Mice; Nucleotides, Cyclic - metabolism; Protozoa; Signal Transduction; Spermatozoa - metabolism; Spermatozoa - physiology; Trypanosoma; Trypanosoma - metabolism; Trypanosoma - physiology; Vertebrates: general zoology, morphology, phylogeny, systematics, cytogenetics, geographical distribution; Kinetoplastida; Protozoa; Vertebrata; Spermatozoa; Mammalia; Trypanosoma; Parasite
• ISSN: 1471-4922; 1471-5007
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2006.12.002

Flagellar-mediated motility is an indispensable function for cell types as evolutionarily distant as mammalian sperm and kinetoplastid parasites, a large group of flagellated protozoa that includes several important human pathogens. Despite the obvious importance of flagellar motility, little is known about the signalling processes that direct the frequency and wave shape of the flagellar beat, or those that provide the motile cell with the necessary environmental cues that enable it to aim its movement. Similarly, the energetics of the flagellar beat and the problem of a sufficient ATP supply along the entire length of the beating flagellum remain to be explored. Recent proteome projects studying the flagella of mammalian sperm and kinetoplastid parasites have provided important information and have indicated a surprising degree of similarities between the flagella of these two cell types.