title: Generation of Viable Plant-Vertebrate Chimeras.
abstract: The extreme dependence on external oxygen supply observed in animals causes major clinical problems and several diseases are related to low oxygen tension in tissues. The vast majority of the animals do not produce oxygen but a few exceptions have shown that photosynthetic capacity is physiologically compatible with animal life. Such symbiotic photosynthetic relationships are restricted to a few aquatic invertebrates. In this work we aimed to explore if we could create a chimerical organism by incorporating photosynthetic eukaryotic cells into a vertebrate animal model. Here, the microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was injected into zebrafish eggs and the interaction and viability of both organisms were studied. Results show that microalgae were distributed into different tissues, forming a fish-alga chimera organism for a prolonged period of time. In addition, microscopic observation of injected algae, in vivo expression of their mRNA and re-growth of the algae ex vivo suggests that they survived to the developmental process, living for several days after injection. Moreover microalgae did not trigger a significant inflammatory response in the fish. This work provides additional evidence to support the possibility that photosynthetic vertebrates can be engineered.
authors.affiliation: FONDAP Center for Genome Regulation, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Marjorie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alvarez
authors.affiliation: FONDAP Center for Genome Regulation, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Reynaert
authors.affiliation: FONDAP Center for Genome Regulation, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile; Dept. of Plastic and Hand Surgery, University Hospital rechts der Isar, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Myra N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Chávez
authors.affiliation: FONDAP Center for Genome Regulation, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Geraldine
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Aedo
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Developmental Cell Biology, Department of Biology, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Araya
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Plastic and Hand Surgery, University Hospital rechts der Isar, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Ursula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Hopfner
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Developmental Cell Biology, Department of Biology, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fernández
authors.affiliation: FONDAP Center for Genome Regulation, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Miguel L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Allende
authors.affiliation: FONDAP Center for Genome Regulation, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile; Dept. of Plastic and Hand Surgery, University Hospital rechts der Isar, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany; Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, Schools of Engineering, Medicine and Biological Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: José T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Egaña
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D057005:Bioengineering; D002678:Chimera / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology*; D016825:Chlamydomonas reinhardtii / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D007814:Larva / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000382:microbiology; D058086:Microalgae / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D008845:Microinjections; D010788:Photosynthesis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger