Department of Cellular Biology, Center for Tropical and Emerging Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, U.S.A.
Department of Genetics and Biochemistry, Eukaryotic Pathogens Innovation Center, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, U.S.A.
Biochem Soc Trans. 2021 Feb 26;49(1):29-39. doi: 10.1042/BST20190517.
Kinetoplastid parasites have essential organelles called glycosomes that are analogous to peroxisomes present in other eukaryotes. While many of the processes that regulate glycosomes are conserved, there are several unique aspects of their biology that are divergent from other systems and may be leveraged as therapeutic targets for the treatment of kinetoplastid diseases. Glycosomes are heterogeneous organelles that likely exist as sub-populations with different protein composition and function in a given cell, between individual cells, and between species. However, the limitations posed by the small size of these organelles makes the study of this heterogeneity difficult. Recent advances in the analysis of small vesicles by flow-cytometry provide an opportunity to overcome these limitations. In this review, we describe studies that document the diverse nature of glycosomes and propose an approach to using flow cytometry and organelle sorting to study the diverse composition and function of these organelles. Because the cellular machinery that regulates glycosome protein import and biogenesis is likely to contribute, at least in part, to glycosome heterogeneity we highlight some ways in which the glycosome protein import machinery differs from that of peroxisomes in other eukaryotes.
动基体生物具有重要的被称为糖体的细胞器，其类似于其他真核生物中存在的过氧化物酶体。虽然调节糖体的许多过程是保守的，但它们的生物学中有几个独特的方面与其他系统不同，并且可能被用作治疗动基体疾病的治疗靶点。糖体是异质的细胞器，在给定的细胞、细胞之间和物种之间可能存在具有不同蛋白质组成和功能的亚群。然而，这些细胞器的小尺寸所带来的限制使得研究这种异质性变得困难。近年来，通过流式细胞术分析小泡的进展为克服这些限制提供了机会。在这篇综述中，我们描述了记录糖体多样性的研究，并提出了一种使用流式细胞术和细胞器分选来研究这些细胞器的不同组成和功能的方法。由于调节糖体蛋白输入和生物发生的细胞机制可能至少部分导致糖体的异质性，因此我们强调了糖体蛋白输入机制与其他真核生物中的过氧化物酶体的不同之处。
