Plastid survival in the cytosol of animal cells.
Some marine slugs sequester plastids from their algae food, which can remain photosynthetically functional in the animal's digestive gland cells in the absence of algal nuclei. The sequestered plastids (kleptoplasts) appear to maintain functional photosystems through a greater autonomy than land plant plastids. If so, kleptoplast robustness is a plastid-intrinsic property, and it depends on the animal to manage an alien organelle on the loose in order to maintain it long term.
Institute of Molecular Evolution, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstrasse 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
Jan
J
de Vries
Institute of Molecular Evolution, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstrasse 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany; Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Adenauerallee 160, 53113 Bonn, Germany.
Gregor
G
Christa
Institute of Molecular Evolution, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstrasse 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany. Electronic address: gould@hhu.de.
Sven B
SB
Gould
D000818:Animals; D002736:Chloroplasts / Q000378:metabolism*; D003600:Cytosol / Q000502:physiology; D049851:Gastropoda / Q000502:physiology*; D010788:Photosynthesis; D013559:Symbiosis
Sacoglossa; carbon fixation; kleptoplasty; photoautotrophy; photosystem; plastid maintenance