Abstract
Abstract Trypanosomatid protozoa are parasites which are responsible for important human diseases in tropical areas of the world. Examples are Trypanosoma brucei, an African trypanosome, T. cruzi, a South American trypanosome, and Leishmania. These parasites are among the most primitive of the eukaryotes and, because of their ancient lineage, it is not surprising that they have unusual biological properties. They are among the first eukaryotes to have mitochondria and one of their most remarkable features is their mitochondrial DNA, known as kinetoplast DNA (kDNA). Unlike any other DNA in nature, kDNA is organized into a network containing several thousand topologically interlocked DNA circles. The circles are of two types. There are several thousand small minicircles and a few dozen larger maxicircles. Figure 1 shows an electron micrograph of part of a kDNA network from the trypanosomatid Crithidia fasciculata. Each cell contains a single network within the matrix of its single mitochondrion (for reviews, see Refs. 1-5).
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