美国哈佛大学Nicholas W. Bellono团队宣布他们的研究开发出了宿主细胞器整合偷来的叶绿体用于动物光合作用。2025年6月25日出版的《细胞》发表了这项成果。

该课题组研究人员发现外来叶绿体在新的宿主来源的细胞器内是同源的，该课题组研究人员称之为“窃带体”。盗贼体主题ATP敏感离子通道维持腔内环境，支持叶绿体光合作用和寿命。在蛞蝓饥饿时，窃食体消化储存的叶绿体以获取额外的营养，从而作为食物来源。该研究组利用这一发现发现，在其他光合作用动物中，包括珊瑚和海葵，光合作用货物的细胞器保留和消化已经趋同进化。因此，他们的研究揭示了细胞内共生体长期获取和进化结合到支持复杂细胞功能的细胞器中的机制。

研究人员表示，真核生物是在10亿多年前进化而来的，当时古老的细胞吞没并整合了原核生物，形成了现代的线粒体和叶绿体。Sacoglossan“太阳能”海蛞蝓有能力在一生中通过选择性地保留消耗的叶绿体来获得细胞器，这些叶绿体在近一年的时间里保持光合活性。这种“动物光合作用”的机制尚不清楚。

附：英文原文

Title: A host organelle integrates stolen chloroplasts for animal photosynthesis

Author: Corey A.H. Allard, Angus B. Thies, Rishav Mitra, Patric M. Vaelli, Olivia D. Leto, Brittany L. Walsh, Elise M.J. Laetz, Martin Tresguerres, Amy S.Y. Lee, Nicholas W. Bellono

Issue&Volume: 2025-06-25

Abstract: Eukaryotic life evolved over a billion years ago when ancient cells engulfed and integrated prokaryotes to become modern mitochondria and chloroplasts. Sacoglossan “solar-powered” sea slugs possess the ability to acquire organelles within a single lifetime by selectively retaining consumed chloroplasts that remain photosynthetically active for nearly a year. The mechanism for this “animal photosynthesis” remains unknown. Here, we discovered that foreign chloroplasts are housed within novel, host-derived organelles we term “kleptosomes.” Kleptosomes use ATP-sensitive ion channels to maintain a luminal environment that supports chloroplast photosynthesis and longevity. Upon slug starvation, kleptosomes digest stored chloroplasts for additional nutrients, thereby serving as a food source. We leveraged this discovery to find that organellar retention and digestion of photosynthetic cargo has convergently evolved in other photosynthetic animals, including corals and anemones. Thus, our study reveals mechanisms underlying the long-term acquisition and evolutionary incorporation of intracellular symbionts into organelles that support complex cellular function.

DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2025.06.003

Source: https://www.cell.com/cell/abstract/S0092-8674(25)00637-3