The tripartite attachment complex (TAC) in T. brucei physically connects the base of the flagellum to the single unit mitochondrial DNA. The >200nm long cytosolic TAC-region is spanned by a single protein. p197 is 660kDa in size, mostly alpha-helical and defines the distance between the base of the flagellum and the outer mitochondrial membrane.
We used ultrastructure expansion microscopy (U-ExM) to monitor the topology of p197 and its function as a spacer protein.

This work was a collaborative effort by the group of Prof. Dr. André Schneider (DCBP) and the group of Prof. Dr. Torsten Ochsenreiter (IZB).

References:

• S. Aeschlimann, A. Kalichava, B.d Schimanski, B. M. Berger, C. Jetishi, P. Stettler, T. Ochsenreiter, A. Schneider;
  "Single p197 molecules of the mitochondrial genome segregation system of Trypanosoma brucei determine the distance between basal body and outer membrane"
  PNAS, 2022, 119(40), e2204294119/1-10; doi:10.1073/pnas.2204294119.