Molecular Comparison of the Mitochondrial and Cytoplasmic hsp 70 of Trypanosoma cruzi, Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania major

We compared the expression and localization of the mitochondrial and cytoplasmic hsp70 of the protozoans Trypanosoma cruzi, Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania major. The mitochondrial protein is encoded by multiple mRNA in all species, while the cytoplasmic protein is encoded by a single mRNA. In all three species, the mitochondrial hsp70 is concentrated in the kinetoplast, a submitochondrial structure that houses the unusual DNA (kDNA) that characterizes this group of organisms, while the cytoplasmic protein is distributed throughout the cell. These results suggest that, in all kinetoplastid species, mt-hsp70 has a specific function in kDNA biology, possibly in the processes of kDNA replication, RNA editing or kinetoplast structure.