ArticlePloS one2013
The limits on trypanosomatid morphological diversity.
Article in PloS one, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 45 papers.
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Who cites it
45 citing papers in PubMed, 71 citations in OpenAlex.
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- Trypanosomes in Neotropical frogs: unveiling hidden megadiversity and complex host-parasite patterns.Open biology · 2025Article
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- Infectivity of Aflagellar Epimastigotes ofJournal of parasitology research · 2025Article
- Promastigote EPS secretion and haptomonad biofilm formation as evolutionary adaptations of trypanosomatid parasites for colonizing honeybee hosts.NPJ biofilms and microbiomes · 2024Article
- Whole cell reconstructions of Leishmania mexicana through the cell cycle.PLoS pathogens · 2024Article
- Disruption of Leishmania flagellum attachment zone architecture causes flagellum loss.Molecular microbiology · 2024Article
- A sticky situation: When trypanosomatids attach to insect tissues.PLoS pathogens · 2023Review
- Morphogenesis in Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes proceeds via a highly asymmetric cell division.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2023Article
- Tackling Sleeping Sickness: Current and Promising Therapeutics and Treatment Strategies.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Review
- In Silico Identification and Analysis of Proteins Containing the Phox Homology Phosphoinositide-Binding Domain in Kinetoplastea Protists: Evolutionary Conservation and Uniqueness of Phox-Homology-Domain-Containing Protein Architectures.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Article
- Morphogenesis Dynamics in Leishmania Differentiation.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Delineating transitions during the evolution of specialised peroxisomes: Glycosome formation in kinetoplastid and diplonemid protists.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2022Article
- The Trypanosomatids Cell Cycle: A Brief Report.Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.) · 2022Review
- Cell Cycle, Telomeres, and Telomerase inCells · 2021Review
- State-of-the-Art Techniques for Diagnosis of Medical Parasites and Arthropods.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Review
- The kinesin of the flagellum attachment zone in Leishmania is required for cell morphogenesis, cell division and virulence in the mammalian host.PLoS pathogens · 2021Article
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
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Abstract
Cell shape is one, often overlooked, way in which protozoan parasites have adapted to a variety of host and vector environments and directional transmissions between these environments. Consequently, different parasite life cycle stages have characteristic morphologies. Trypanosomatid parasites are an excellent example of this in which large morphological variations between species and life cycle stage occur, despite sharing well-conserved cytoskeletal and membranous structures. Here, using previously published reports in the literature of the morphology of 248 isolates of trypanosomatid species from different hosts, we perform a meta-analysis of the occurrence and limits on morphological diversity of different classes of trypanosomatid morphology (trypomastigote, promastigote, etc.) in the vertebrate bloodstream and invertebrate gut environments. We identified several limits on cell body length, cell body width and flagellum length diversity which can be interpreted as biomechanical limits on the capacity of the cell to attain particular dimensions. These limits differed for morphologies with and without a laterally attached flagellum which we suggest represent two morphological superclasses, the 'juxtaform' and 'liberform' superclasses. Further limits were identified consistent with a selective pressure from the mechanical properties of the vertebrate bloodstream environment; trypanosomatid size showed limits relative to host erythrocyte dimensions. This is the first comprehensive analysis of the limits of morphological diversity in any protozoan parasite, revealing the morphogenetic constraints and extrinsic selection pressures associated with the full diversity of trypanosomatid morphology.
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