Kinetoplastids

Question 1

Describe trypanosomes

Answer 1

Flagellated, contain kinetoplastid (DNA-containing region of mitochondria), extracellular, infect CNS via lymph.

Question 2

What form of trypanosome is injected into humans by the tsetse fly?

Answer 2

Metycyclic trypomastigotes, which then transform into bloodstream trypomastigotes to be carried to other sites.

Question 3

Via which method to trypomastigotes multiply in various bodily fluids?

Answer 3

Binary fission

Question 4

Into which form do bloodstream trypomastigotes transform once it enters the tsetse fly?

Answer 4

Procyclic trypomatigote

Question 5

Into which form does the procyclic trypomastigote transform once it leaves the gut of the tsetse fly?

Answer 5

Epimastigote

Question 6

Where do epimastigotes multiple?

Answer 6

Salivary glands of the tsetse fly

Question 7

Into which form foes the epimastigote transform before being injected into a human?

Answer 7

Metacyclic.

Question 8

What are the two types of kinetoplastid DNA?

Answer 8

Maxicircle and minicircle

Question 9

Which of maxicircles and minicircles are identical and which are heterogenous?

Answer 9

Maxicircles are identical

Minicircles are heterogenous

Question 10

What is the size of maxicircles?

Answer 10

20-40kb

Question 11

What is the size of minicircles?

Answer 11

0.5-10kb

Question 12

What do maxicircles encode?

Answer 12

Typical mitochondrial gene products

Question 13

What do minicircles encode form?

Answer 13

Decrypting guideRNA

Question 14

What encodes decrypting guideRNA?

Answer 14

Mostly minicircles and some maxicircles.

Question 15

What is the major characteristic of modification of encrypted maxicircle DNA?

Answer 15

Insertion/deletion of uridine.

Question 16

At which end of the mRNA does decrypting editing begin?

Answer 16

3’ end

Question 17

What gives trypanosomes resistance?

Answer 17

Variant surface glycoproteins (VSGs) and resistance to lytic factor

Question 18

What are the chromosomes that make up the T. brucei?

Answer 18

11 pairs of large chromosomes (1-6mb)
3-5 intermediate chromosomes (200-500kb)
100 minichromosomes (50-100kb)

Question 19

Which cells does Trypanosome cruzi first infect?

Answer 19

Macrophages

Question 20

What is the vector for Leishmania?

Answer 20

Sand fly

Question 21

What are the three phases of Leishmaniea infection?

Answer 21

Cutaneous muco-cutaneous, visceral

Question 22

In which form does Leishmania infect humans?

Answer 22

Promastigote

Question 23

The promastigote form of Leishmania loses its flagellum to transform into which form?

Answer 23

Amastigote