Abstract

Trypanosomatids comprise a large number of spe­cies found in insects. They can be easily cultivated in axenic media, and even in chemically defined media. This short review points out the importance of trypanosomatids especially the monokenics, as bio­logical models for the study of basic questions in cell biology. Emphasis is given (a) to the process of cell transformation, (b) to the assocíation of surface macromolecules through a glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor, (c) to the compartmentalization of the glycolytic pathway in the glycosomes, (d) lo the process of endosymbiosis. as a basic phenomenon in the biogén­esis of cell organelles, (e) to the presence of an organelle rich in DNA. as is the case of the kinetoplast, (f) to the presence of a special organelle, the acídocalcisome, involved in the concentration of calcium and pyrophosphate, (g) to a special organiza­ron of cytoskeletal structures such as the sub-pellicular microtubules and the paraxial rod and (h) to the presence of a highly polarized endocytic system.