Scientists at the University of Tokyo managed to make animal cells carry out photosynthesis by incorporating them with chloroplasts from red algae.
This discovery, recently in the journal Proceedings of the Japan Academy, Series B, marks the first time that chloroplasts, which generate energy from sunlight, function in animal cells.
Normally, animal cells decompose chloroplasts immediately after their introduction, and the internal heat of these cells would degrade them. However, researchers used a type of red algae chloroplast Known to withstand high temperatures near volcanic environments.
Scientists inserted these chloroplasts into hamster cells and the chloroplasts continued to function for two days, carrying out photosynthesis and producing oxygenexplains the website.
According to corresponding author Sachihiro Matsunaga, this was the “first reported detection of photosynthetic electron transport in animal cells.”
Chloroplasts converted sunlight into energy, promoting cell growth for a brief period. Although the cells had degraded by the fourth day, the discovery could revolutionize the development of human tissues grown in the laboratory.
In practical terms, photosynthetic cells could provide essential oxygen to these tissues, such as those used in skin grafts or lab-grown meat, which have difficulty growing due to low internal oxygen levels.
Matsunaga hopes that these “planimetric cells” could eventually enable a shift to sustainable, carbon-neutral solutions, although the long-term survival of chloroplasts remains an active challenge.
