1. Plural of kinetoplast; specialized organelles found in certain protozoans (especially trypanosomes) that contain DNA and are associated with the flagellum.
Usage: biology; technical; plural form

Examples

• Kinetoplasts are distinctive structures in trypanosomatid parasites.
• The kinetoplasts of these organisms contain circular DNA molecules.
• Researchers studied the kinetoplasts to understand protozoan cell biology.
• Mutations affecting kinetoplasts can impair the organism's motility.
• The presence of kinetoplasts helps scientists classify certain protozoans.