10.21.07
Mad Scientist Dreams: Chloroplasts in Animal Cells
So animals cells need the universal energy currency ATP just like plant cells. We animals get our ATP from the catabolic processing of carbohydrates and fats. Which is really, really cool, as I will go over in another post. Plants, as every 3rd grader learns, use chloroplasts to generate high energy electrons (in the form of NADPH) which are then used to make ATP through oxidative phosphorlation. But for the first episode of Mad Scientist’s Question Period, what would happen if you were to insert chloroplasts into an animal cell, or even just a eucaryote that normally doesn’t contain them? Would the cell be able to attain the ATP generated by the chloroplasts? Chloroplasts, like mitochondria have transferred many of the genes for their machinery to the host genome, but even in the absence of this information the chloroplast should be able to last for a while. Does this sort of transgenic cell work? Furthermore, would it be possible to insert the genes for chloroplasts into the genome of a mouse or a nematode and get a photosynthetic animal?
I am trying to approach the issue of modularity in genetics and cell biology. Some aspects of cellular life appear to be fairly modular–they can be mixed and matched between organisms with relative ease, adding features without disrupting the symmetry of the pattern. In my mind, lateral gene transfer in prokaryotes is a prime example of this.
For example, the genes of an ABC transporter that confers drug resistance can be transferred from one prokaryote to the next, making the spread of drug resistance much faster than it would be if microbes followed a strictly hereditary system of evolution. But the point is, the gene for the transporter protein can be transferred to a new type of bacteria through lateral transfer, and the protein can be expressed and implanted in the membrane, where it will serve its function without necessarily gumming up the rest of the organisms works.
Now the chloroplast is a much larger and more complex possible “module” than a single Transporter Protein, and multicellular eucaryotic cells are much more complex than prokaryotic cells. It is very likely that this wouldn’t work at all. But it sounds to me like a question for science.
Any papers describing an attempt at such a crazy task would be greatly appreciated.
mp said,
January 24, 2008 at 9:27 pm
Personally, I would love to be a photosynthesizing human, and I believe that this could be very important research for the future of humanity…
Ashwai Kr. Saini said,
April 11, 2008 at 1:08 pm
today i came to know that artificial chloroplast is discovered so within a short time it will be intreduse to animal cells or there is an another option that we may cultivate green algae on the apidermis of an animal symbioticly
D. Borst said,
April 18, 2008 at 10:35 pm
I think it would really be cool to be able to “eat” via sunbathing. But then again, I really like food.
@Ashwai do you have a journal article about that? I’d love to take a look a it.
Sean Carnegie said,
October 12, 2008 at 6:50 pm
I would like to do a science project on this subject. I am entering a Science fair that pairs up a student with a professor to act as a mentor, and my idea was an animal that would produce its own food, so that maybe we humans could avoid going hungry via food shortage. I’ll let you know what happens.
shay said,
October 28, 2008 at 9:46 am
i think that was the coolest article i’ve ever read in my entire life. who wrote this is a genious! you are my idol! I LLLLLUUUUUVVVVV YYYYYOOOOOOUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Luv shay ross
shay said,
October 28, 2008 at 9:48 am
i think that was the coolest article i’ve ever read in my entire life. who wrote this is a genious! you are my idol!
Luv shay ross
Dr A H said,
November 6, 2008 at 11:42 am
I acknowledge that the addition of chloroplasts to the epidermis would be a neat solution to cell lysis; however would the products of photosynthesis, especially large molecular weight molecules, then have to undergo a separate transportation procedure before true symbiosis could occur?
PS I Love you so much too. This is the greatest article I’ve ever read. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Anachoret said,
June 8, 2009 at 2:54 am
Thats a great idea!
I think there are 2 major points to think about for doing a functional approach:
1. Sunbathing instead of eating is no solution cause we should not forget that the food does is not only essential for gaining energy (ATP) . You have a running metabolism in your body, so far in every cell. Means that every cell eat & shit ;) So, if you insert a chloroplast in a eukaryotic cell, there is on one side no need of sugars and fat but: you need very many substances to maintain a functional metabolism like Mg, Fe, Cu, Ca, Vitamins and many others. You lost this substances every time you visit your toilet so you have to eat – in every case. The advantage would be to eat only a “multi vitamin/element” pill during the week and enjoy a very delicious and expensive meal at the weekend.
2. I think its necessary to figure out what the chloroplast produces and what it needs from the surrounding cell/nucleus to survive. After you figured out the needs (mainly protein i think) you should subtract it from the plant nucleus transcriptom and figure out the responsible genes. Clone them into vectors and transform mammalian cells. If you gain stabile cell lines you could subsequently start to introduce the chloroplast and see if it works.
3. Are there known complications regarding an higher amount of ATP in the cell? Thats a hint pointing out that the original mammalian cell funktions perfect with ATP from mitochondria. So a second approch would be to figure out the netto ATP output of mitochondria and chloroplast and compare it. If it is nearly the same – deletion of mitochondria in mammalian cell and introduction of chloroplast would be the most elegant way to bring this idea to life. It would be interesting if a chloroplast could do the work of the mitochondria. (note: i did´nt thought about other essential output of mitochondria)
If this works – you will get a nobel price, sure! ;)
Rajendra said,
July 8, 2009 at 7:11 pm
Dear All,
The subject discussed here can be achieved with RELATIVE ease. I have been thinking about this subject since about 10 years. I have almost drawn out an experimental approach with which photosynthetic animal can be made. Further, not only such an animal can be made, but such an animal can be forced to retain and pass on chloroplasts to subsequent generations. As I want the details to be kept secret till the project is executed, I am not able to provide more details. In a month or so I will start generating reagents in this regard. However, it will be a few years before such an animal is made. None of these is a joke.
On a lighter vein, we can also make animals with leucoplasts so that animals no longer need to be green.
Raj
Mike said,
July 24, 2009 at 4:03 pm
Seems like insertion of a chloroplast into a freshly formed zygote would take care of it, granted that the technique worked and that this didn’t make animals that grew roots. By inserting into a zygote, especially if you can set up the appropriate triggers and have the chloroplast divide when the cell does, you eliminate the need to ever do it again with a given germ line… in theory, the gametes will have them too.
Sign my future grandkids up after we get it to work on monkeys.