Isolation of Kinetoplast‐Mitochondrial Complexes from Leishmania tarentolae*

SYNOPSIS. Kinetoplast‐mitochondrial complexes were liberated from Leishmania tarentolae by passing hypotonically swollen cells in dilute Tris‐EDTA through a needle at 100 1bs/in2. The complexes formed an equilibrium band by flotation in Renografin gradients at a density of 1.22 g/ml. The band was monitored by several mitochondrial and kinetoplastic markers: [3H]DNA, succinate‐cytochrome c reductase activity, [50Fe]hemoproteins and optical density at 600 nm. Electron microscopy showed that the sole component of the 1.22 g/ml band was the kinetoplast‐mitochondrial complex.