Structure and function of the Golgi organelle in parasitic protists

Abstract

At least three aspects make study of endomembrane systems of parasitic protists scientifically important. First, unicellular parasites are promising objects to clarify Golgi functions, as well as mechanisms of intracellular transport because they possess essentially reduced secretory machinery, often coupled with hypertrophied secretion of certain proteins. A comparative molecular analysis of their compact genomes is helpful in determining the minimal set of genes for certain transport and secretory functions. In addition, small cell size of many protists facilitates morphological analysis, particularly, three-dimensional reconstruction of the secretory compartment (Beznoussenko et al. 2007; Cooke et al. 2004; Joiner and Roos 2002; Lujan and Touz 2003; Overath and Engstler 2004; Plattner 1993). Second, knowledge about specific mechanisms of function of endomembrane system of pathogenic protists could be helpful in development of pharmaceutical drugs. Third, the reconstruction of the ancestral nature of intracellular trafficking depends on the topology and rooting of the eukaryotic tree (Richards and Cavalier-Smith 2005). Thus, analysis of protists by reconstructing ancestral states could help in understanding of the origin and evolution not only of the secretory system, but also the eukaryotic cell per se.