%0 Journal Article %A Lloyd, David %A Harris, Janine C %A Maroulis, Sarah %A Wadley, Ron %A Ralphs, James R %A Hann, Ao C %A Turner, Michael P %A Edwards, Michael R %T The ‘primitive’ microaerophile Giardia intestinalis (syn. lamblia, duodenalis) has specialized membranes with electron transport and membrane-potential-generating functions %D 2002 %J Microbiology, %V 148 %N 5 %P 1349-1354 %@ 1465-2080 %R https://doi.org/10.1099/00221287-148-5-1349 %K rhodamine 123 %K confocal laser scanning microscopy %K tetrazolium dye %K CTC, 5-cyano-2,3-ditolyl tetrazolium chloride %K lower eukaryotes %K mitochondria %I Microbiology Society, %X 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. %U https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-148-5-1349