Plastid survival in the cytosol of animal cells

Jan de Vries; Gregor Christa; Sven B Gould

doi:10.1016/j.tplants.2014.03.010

Plastid survival in the cytosol of animal cells

Trends Plant Sci. 2014 Jun;19(6):347-50. doi: 10.1016/j.tplants.2014.03.010. Epub 2014 Apr 24.

Authors

Jan de Vries¹, Gregor Christa², Sven B Gould³

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Molecular Evolution, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstrasse 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
² Institute of Molecular Evolution, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstrasse 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany; Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Adenauerallee 160, 53113 Bonn, Germany.
³ Institute of Molecular Evolution, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstrasse 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany. Electronic address: gould@hhu.de.

PMID: 24767983
DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2014.03.010

Abstract

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.

Keywords: Sacoglossa; carbon fixation; kleptoplasty; photoautotrophy; photosystem; plastid maintenance.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Chloroplasts / metabolism*
Cytosol / physiology
Gastropoda / physiology*
Photosynthesis*
Symbiosis