The single mitochondrion of the kinetoplastid parasite Crithidia fasciculata is a dynamic network
Fig 2
Mitochondrial shape during the cell cycle of C. fasciculata.
A) Typical mitochondrial morphology in 1N1K (G1 phase) cells as shown by mitoGFP. Arrowheads show a small mitochondrial loop that indicates the presence of the kDNA disk. Arrows point to areas containing thickened mitochondrial tubules. DAPI signal is shown in magenta in merged images. Scale bar is 5 μm. B) Relative numbers of cells in different phases of the cell cycle in asynchronous cultures and in hydroxyurea (HU)-synchronized cultures at various times after removal of HU. This procedure allows for enrichment of mitotic cell cycle phases and demonstrates cell cycle progression from 1N1K to 2N1K, 2N2K, and back to 1N1K. N, nucleus. K, kDNA. C) Synchronized cells (n = 119) in different phases of the cell cycle according to DAPI staining were measured for overall cell length and width using phase contrast images. For length, cells were measured along their longest axis from the base of the flagellum to the posterior end. Cell width was measured at the widest point of the cell. P-values indicated *<0.05, **<0.005, *** = 0.001, and ****<0.0001 by ANOVA. D) Examples of typical mitochondrial shapes found in 1N1K, 2N1K, and 2N2K cells. Note that the nuclei are not symmetrically positioned with respect to the cell body in 2N1K cells. The last three columns show cells undergoing cytokinesis. Scale bar is 5 μm.