Scientists create hybrid animal cells that gains energy from sunlight

Researchers at the University of Tokyo have combined chloroplasts with animal cells, enabling the cells to harness energy from the sunlight. This technology could be useful in artificial tissue engineering and proliferating tissues in oxygen-lacking environments.

It was long known that chloroplasts retain their photosynthetic activities even after being separated from the plant. Therefore, many researchers tried to incorporate chloroplasts into the cells of other species.

However, these incorporations could only be maintained for a few hours and the analysis of their photosynthetic activities remained unconfirmed.

Until now, inserting energy-making chloroplasts into mammalian cells has been considered impossible. Researchers thought the native chloroplasts would be digested by the animal cells within hours after being introduced.

However, the study found that the chloroplasts continued to perform photosynthesis for up to two days. The chloroplast was taken from the red algae Cyanidioschyzon Merolae (schyzon) and incorporated into a Chinese hamster.

Using several imaging microscopy techniques, researchers confirmed the electron transport of photosynthetic activity by using pulses of light.

“As far as we know, this is the first reported detection of photosynthetic electron transport in chloroplasts implanted in animal cells. We thought that the chloroplasts would be digested by the animal cells within hours after being introduced. However, what we found was that they continued to function for up to two days, and that the electron transport of photosynthetic activity occurred,” says Professor Sachihiro Matsunaga.

Atomic structure involved in plant respiration revealed

The foremost reason for using schyzon is its viability in animal cells for longer durations. While most algal cells become inactive at temperatures below 37 degrees Celsius, schyzon cells remain active at this temperature.

When the chloroplasts merged, researchers noticed that hamster cells grew faster than usual. This enhanced cell growth suggests that chloroplasts could have served as a carbon source (fuel) for the cells. However, the exchange of substances between chloroplasts and mitochondria remains unclear.

The team is working on their “planimal cell” research, and eyeing future studies to offer better insights into the exchange of substances. Researchers have deemed Planimal cells as ‘game-changing cells’ to achieve a green transformation.

This fluorescence image shows chloroplasts (magenta colored) successfully incorporated into the hamster cells, with other features of the animal cell also highlighted (nuclei in light blue and organelles in yellow-green). © R. Aoki, Y. Inui, Y. Okabe et al. 2024/ Proceedings of the Japan Academy, Series B

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“We expect planimal cells to be game-changing cells, which in the future can help us achieve a ‘green transformation’ to a more carbon-neutral society. We will continue to develop innovative biotechnologies with the aim of realizing a sustainable society and the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions,” Matsunaga continued.

Journal Reference

1. Ryota Aoki, Yayoi Inui, Yoji Okabe, Mayuko Sato, Noriko Takeda-Kamiya, Kiminori Toyooka, Koki Sawada, Hayato Mortita, Baptiste Genot, Shinichiro Maruyama, Tatsuya Tomo, Kintake Sonoike and Sachihiro Matsunaga, “Incorporation of photosynthetically active algal chloroplasts in cultured mammalian cells towards photosynthesis in animals,” Proceedings of the Japan Academy, Series B, Physical and Biological Sciences: October 31, 2024, DOI: 10.2183/pjab.100.035

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