biostudies-literatureTomasini NAgencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica1394https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12562267biostudies-literatureUnknown14(10)The mitochondrial DNA of trypanosomatid parasites consists of thousands of catenated minicircles and dozens of maxicircles that form a complex network structure, the kinetoplast (kDNA). Although kDNA replication and segregation during mitotic division are well studied, its inheritance during genetic exchange events remains unclear. In <i>Trypanosoma brucei</i>, hybrids inherit minicircles biparentally but retain maxicircles from a single parent. Although biparental inheritance of minicircles has been described in natural <i>Trypanosoma cruzi</i> hybrids, this process has not been explored in laboratory-generated hybrids of this parasite. In the present study, we analyzed kDNA inheritance in <i>T. cruzi</i> experimental hybrids using a comprehensive minicircle hypervariable region (mHVR) daBiologyBiparental Inheritance and Instability of kDNA in Experimental Hybrids of <i>Trypanosoma cruzi</i>: A Proposal for a Mechanism.PMC12562267PICT2019-02855Diosque PTomasini NRusman FLewis MDAguirre JJHodi SMatos GMDiaz AGAndersson BPonce TFloridia-Yapur NfalseBiparental Inheritance and Instability of kDNA in Experimental Hybrids of <i>Trypanosoma cruzi</i>: A Proposal for a Mechanism.The mitochondrial DNA of trypanosomatid parasites consists of thousands of catenated minicircles and dozens of maxicircles that form a complex network structure, the kinetoplast (kDNA). Although kDNA replication and segregation during mitotic division are well studied, its inheritance during genetic exchange events remains unclear. In <i>Trypanosoma brucei</i>, hybrids inherit minicircles biparentally but retain maxicircles from a single parent. Although biparental inheritance of minicircles has been described in natural <i>Trypanosoma cruzi</i> hybrids, this process has not been explored in laboratory-generated hybrids of this parasite. In the present study, we analyzed kDNA inheritance in <i>T. cruzi</i> experimental hybrids using a comprehensive minicircle hypervariable region (mHVR) da2025-01-01T00:00:00Z2025 Oct2026-05-15T03:18:00.646Z2026-05-15T03:12:19.965ZS-EPMC125622674115479510.3390/biology14101394