Molecular karyotypes of the UC, LEM87 and LEM115 Leishmania tarentolae strains were obtained. All strains had 24-28 chromosomal bands which varied in size between 300 kb and 2.9 Mb. Several recurrent chromosomal polymorphisms occurred in LEM115 after nutrient shock or subcloning. One type of polymorphism involves the truncation of a 365-kb chromosome which contains the miniexon genes. This spec...

BACKGROUND Fluorescence microscopy is a powerful tool to study the morphology and function of subcellular compartments or to determine the localization of proteins. The method is also regularly used for the analysis of parasitic protists including kinetoplastida. RESULTS Here, we report a significant autofluorescence of Leishmania tarentolae mitochondria. The autofluorescence, presumably caus...

The catalytic, RNA-binding and oligomerization domains of the RNA-editing terminal uridylyl transferase 1 (RET1) from Leishmania tarentolae mitochondria were characterized by mutational analysis. Significant N- and C-terminal portions of the protein were found to be dispensable for UTP polymerization in vitro. Changes of conserved amino acids in the active site demonstrated a general similarity...

A multiprotein, high molecular weight complex active in both U-insertion and U-deletion as judged by a pre-cleaved RNA editing assay was isolated from mitochondrial extracts of Leishmania tarentolae by the tandem affinity purification (TAP) procedure, using three different TAP-tagged proteins of the complex. This editing- or E-complex consists of at least three protein-containing components int...

A ribonuclease activity in a 100,000 x g supernatant of a Triton lysate of a mitochondrial-kinetoplast fraction from Leishmania tarentolae is activated by incubation with heparin or by predigestion of the lysate with proteinase k or pronase. In vitro-transcribed pre-edited cytochrome b mRNA is cleaved at several sites. With time, complete degradation of the RNA occurs. All cleavages occurred wi...

A mitochondrial extract from Leishmania tarentolae directs the incorporation of uridylate (U) residues within the pre-edited domain of synthetic cytochrome b (CYb) and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 7 mRNA. This has several characteristics of an in vitro RNA editing activity, but no direct evidence for involvement of guide RNAs was obtained. Inhibition by micrococcal nuclease suggests a requirement...

The molecular mechanism of RNA editing in trypanosomatid mitochondria is an unsolved problem. We show that two classes of ribonucleoprotein complexes exist in a mitochondrial extract from Leishmania tarentolae and appear to be involved in RNA editing. The 'G' class of RNP complexes consists of 170-300 A particles which contain guide RNAs and proteins, show little terminal uridylyl transferase (...