Gleeson M T
Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Technology, Westbourne Street, Gore Hill NSW 2065, Sydney, Australia.
Int J Parasitol. 2000 Sep;30(10):1053-70. doi: 10.1016/s0020-7519(00)00100-4.
An extrachromosomal genome of between 27 and 35 kb has been described in several apicomplexan parasites including Plasmodium falciparum and Toxoplasma gondii. Examination of sequence data proved the genomes to be a remnant plastid genome, from which all genes encoding photosynthetic functions had been lost. Localisation studies had shown that the genome was located within a multi-walled organelle, anterior to the nucleus. This organelle had been previously described in ultrastructural studies of several genera of apicomplexa, but no function had been attributed to it. This invited review describes the evolution of knowledge on the apicomplexan plastid, then discusses current research findings on the likely role of the plastid in the Apicomplexa. How the plastid may be used to effect better drug treatments for apicomplexan diseases, and its potential as a marker for investigating phylogenetic relationships among the Apicomplexa, are discussed.
在包括恶性疟原虫和刚地弓形虫在内的几种顶复门寄生虫中，已发现一种大小在27至35 kb之间的染色体外基因组。对序列数据的检查证明，这些基因组是残余的质体基因组，其中所有编码光合作用功能的基因均已丢失。定位研究表明，该基因组位于细胞核前方的一个多层细胞器内。这种细胞器先前已在几种顶复门属的超微结构研究中有所描述，但尚未赋予其任何功能。这篇综述文章首先描述了关于顶复门质体的知识演变，然后讨论了当前关于质体在顶复门中可能作用的研究结果。还讨论了质体如何可用于实现对顶复门疾病更好的药物治疗，以及其作为研究顶复门之间系统发育关系标记物的潜力。
