Where Can Kinetoplast Be Found?

The kinetoplast is a dark Giemsa-staining structure which is distinct from the nucleus (Figure). The size of the kinetoplast will vary according to species. The kinetoplast is found near the basal body which is located at the base of the flagellum (Figure).

Is the kinetoplast in the mitochondria?

The kinetoplast appears as a dense structure and is made of kinetoplast DNA (kDNA), found in a specialized portion of the mitochondrion (Fig. 18.4) within the mitochondrial matrix, perpendicular to the axis of the flagellum.

What is a kinetoplast used for?

Maxicircles encode the typical protein products needed for the mitochondria which is encrypted. Herein lies the only known function of the minicircles - producing guide RNA (gRNA) to decode this encrypted maxicircle information, typically through the insertion or deletion of uridine residues.