Department of Cell Biology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
Curr Opin Microbiol. 2013 Aug;16(4):424-31. doi: 10.1016/j.mib.2013.07.015. Epub 2013 Aug 8.
The economic and clinical significance of apicomplexan parasites drives interest in their many evolutionary novelties. Distinctive intracellular organelles play key roles in parasite motility, invasion, metabolism, and replication, and understanding their relationship with the organelles of better-studied eukaryotic systems suggests potential targets for therapeutic intervention. Recent work has demonstrated divergent aspects of canonical eukaryotic components in the Apicomplexa, including Golgi bodies and mitochondria. The apicoplast is a relict plastid of secondary endosymbiotic origin, harboring metabolic pathways distinct from those of host species. The inner membrane complex (IMC) is derived from the cortical alveoli defining the superphylum Alveolata, but in apicomplexans functions in parasite motility and replication. Micronemes and rhoptries are associated with establishment of the intracellular niche, and define the apical complex for which the phylum is named. Morphological, cell biological and molecular evidence strongly suggest that these organelles are derived from the endocytic pathway.
顶复门寄生虫在经济和临床方面的重要性，使其许多进化创新备受关注。独特的细胞内细胞器在寄生虫的运动、入侵、代谢和复制中发挥着关键作用，而了解它们与研究更为充分的真核生物系统的细胞器之间的关系，则提示了潜在的治疗干预靶点。最近的研究表明，顶复门寄生虫中存在经典真核生物成分的不同方面，包括高尔基体和线粒体。类质体是次生内共生起源的遗留质体，其代谢途径与宿主物种的代谢途径不同。内膜复合物（IMC）来源于皮层泡囊，定义了超门纤毛门，但在顶复门寄生虫中，它的功能是参与寄生虫的运动和复制。微线体和棒状体与细胞内小生境的建立有关，并为该门命名的顶端复合物定义了特征。形态学、细胞生物学和分子证据强烈表明这些细胞器是从内吞途径衍生而来的。
