13 - Protozoan Cell Organelles

Abstract

This chapter focuses on differences between host and parasite organelles, and concentrates on the protozoa. Fewer biological reagents, such as monoclonal antibodies, inhibitors, and cloned genes, are available for the study of sub-cellular compartmentalization in parasites than in higher eukaryotes.. Metabolic pathways within membrane-bounded organelles, molecular cloning, selected organinsms and organelle systems that point out unique aspect of parasite organelles have been focused in the chapter. The chapter also explains that protozoal parasites show many variations from the standard eukaryotic cell architecture and that all eukaryotes including parasitic protozoa possess a cytoskeleton. The mitotic spindles of protozoa show diverse organization and giardia possesses a unique structure, “the ventral disk.” The chapter further highlights the organelles involved in macromolecular trafficking and that most parasitic protozoa compartmentalize pathways of energy metabolism within organelles . The chapter concludes that the study of parasite organelles has revealed that the problem of compartmentalizing function within the eukaryotic cell has been solved in a variety of ways and has suggested that the distinctive properties and components of these organelles make them useful targets for anti-parasitic agents.