Expanded repertoire of kinetoplast associated proteins and unique mitochondrial DNA arrangement of symbiont-bearing trypanosomatids

In trypanosomatids, the kinetoplast is the portion of the single mitochondrion that is connected to the basal body and contains the kDNA, a network composed by circular and interlocked DNA. The kDNA packing is conducted by Kinetoplast Associated Proteins (KAPs), which are similar to eukaryotic histone H1. In symbiont-harboring trypanosomatids (SHTs) such as Angomonas deanei and Strigomonas culicis, a ß-proteobacterium co-evolves with the host in a mutualistic relationship. The prokaryote confers nutritional benefits to the host and affects its cell structure. Atomic force microscopy showed that the topology of isolated kDNA networks is quite similar in the two SHT species. Ultrastructural analysis using high-resolution microscopy techniques revealed that the DNA fibrils are more compact in the kinetoplast region that faces the basal body and that the presence of the symbiotic bacterium does not interfere with kDNA topology. However, RT-PCR data revealed differences in the expression of KAPs in wild-type protozoa as compared to aposymbiotic cells. Immunolocalization showed that different KAPs present distinct distributions that are coincident in symbiont-bearing and in symbiont-free cells. Although KAP4 and KAP7 are shared by all trypanosomatid species, the expanded repertoire of KAPs in SHTs can be used as phylogenetic markers to distinguish different genera.