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The ‘primitive’ microaerophile Giardia intestinalis (syn. lamblia, duodenalis) has specialized membranes with electron transport and membrane-potential-generating functions

School of Biosciences (Microbiology), Cardiff University, PO Box 915, Cardiff CF10 3TL, Wales, UK¹
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics² and Cellular Analysis Facility, Department of Microbiology and Immunology³, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia

Author for correspondence: David Lloyd. Tel: +44 29 2087 4772. Fax: +44 29 2087 4305. e-mail: LloydD{at}cardiff.ac.uk

Here it is shown that the flagellated protozoon Giardia intestinalis, commonly regarded as an early branching eukaryote because of its lack of mitochondria, has membraneous structures that partition the cationic, membrane-potential-sensitive fluorophore rhodamine 123. This organism also reduces a tetrazolium fluorogen at discrete plasma-membrane-associated sites. That these functions occur in distinctive specialized membrane systems supports the growing evidence that G. intestinalis may not be primitive, but is derived from an aerobic, mitochondria-containing flagellate.

Keywords: tetrazolium dye, lower eukaryotes, confocal laser scanning microscopy, rhodamine 123, mitochondria

Abbreviations: CTC, 5-cyano-2,3-ditolyl tetrazolium chloride

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