Researchers at U Cal San Francisco and UNC Chapel Hill have announced that they have added plant genetic functions to mammalian cells and enabled them to respond to light. The UCSF press release … excuse me, I mean “media advisory,” is available here:
UCSF researchers have genetically encoded mouse cells to respond to light, creating cells that can be trained to follow a light beam or stop on command like microscopic robots.
This is the first time researchers have been able to import a light controlled “on-off switch” from plants into a mammalian cell to instantly control a variety of cell functions, the researchers said. As such, it offers both a powerful new tool in cancer and cardiovascular research, as well as the potential to ultimately control complex processes such as nerve growth.
Also, if you have a Nature subscription, this is the related paper by Dr. Klaus Hahn and his colleagues at UNC.
Much more research into splicing plant functions into mammal cells and we will soon see green photosynthetic animals that can make their own food when they get outside in the sunlight.