Basal body positioning is controlled by flagellum formation in Trypanosoma brucei.

Sabrina Absalon (1) , Linda Kohl (2) , Carole Branche (1, 2) , Thierry Blisnick (1) , Géraldine Toutirais (2) , Filippo Rusconi (2) , Jacky Cosson (3, 4) , Mélanie Bonhivers (5) , Derrick Robinson (5) , Philippe Bastin (1, 2)

1 Biologie Cellulaire des Trypanosomes
2 ANDCFB - Acides nucléiques : dynamique, ciblage, et fonctions biologiques - Régulation et dynamique des génomes
3 LBDV - Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement de Villefranche sur mer
4 UMR CBGP - Centre de Biologie pour la Gestion des Populations
5 GFT - Génomique fonctionnelle des trypanosomatides

To perform their multiple functions, cilia and flagella are precisely positioned at the cell surface by mechanisms that remain poorly understood. The protist Trypanosoma brucei possesses a single flagellum that adheres to the cell body where a specific cytoskeletal structure is localised, the flagellum attachment zone (FAZ). Trypanosomes build a new flagellum whose distal tip is connected to the side of the old flagellum by a discrete structure, the flagella connector. During this process, the basal body of the new flagellum migrates towards the posterior end of the cell. We show that separate inhibition of flagellum assembly, base-to-tip motility or flagella connection leads to reduced basal body migration, demonstrating that the flagellum contributes to its own positioning. We propose a model where pressure applied by movements of the growing new flagellum on the flagella connector leads to a reacting force that in turn contributes to migration of the basal body at the proximal end of the flagellum.

Domains: Life Sciences [q-bio]; Microbiology and Parasitology; Parasitology

Sabrina Absalon, Linda Kohl, Carole Branche, Thierry Blisnick, Géraldine Toutirais, et al.. Basal body positioning is controlled by flagellum formation in Trypanosoma brucei.. PLoS ONE, 2007, 2, pp.e437. ⟨10.1371/journal.pone.0000437⟩. ⟨pasteur-00169134⟩