Transplanting light-dependent reactions for mammalian eye photosynthesis
- Cell. 2026 May 15:S0092-8674(26)00469-1. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2026.04.034.
- 1. Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, College of Design and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117585, Singapore; NUS Graduate School of Integrative Science & Engineering Programme, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119077, Singapore.
- 2. Zhejiang University, Eye Center of Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Eye Diseases, Zhejiang Provincial Engineering Institute on Eye Diseases, Hangzhou 310009, China.
- 3. Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, College of Design and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117585, Singapore; The Affiliated Hospital of Stomatology, School of Stomatology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Research of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310006, China.
- 4. Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, College of Design and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117585, Singapore.
- 5. Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, College of Design and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117585, Singapore; School of Biological Science and Technology, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, China.
- 6. The Affiliated Hospital of Stomatology, School of Stomatology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Research of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310006, China.
- 7. Institute of Advanced Materials, State Key Laboratory of Flexible Electronics (LoFE) and Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Smart Biomaterials and Theranostic Technology, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210023, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
- 8. Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, School of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Medical Science and Technology Innovation Center, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan 250000, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
- 9. Zhejiang University, Eye Center of Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Eye Diseases, Zhejiang Provincial Engineering Institute on Eye Diseases, Hangzhou 310009, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
- 10. Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, College of Design and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117585, Singapore; NUS Graduate School of Integrative Science & Engineering Programme, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119077, Singapore. Electronic address: [email protected].
Mammalian eyes are exposed to visible light but cannot perform photosynthesis. Here, we show that introducing a nanoscale, structurally and functionally preserved thylakoid system, LEAF (light-reaction enriched thylakoid NADPH-foundry), into corneal cells enables light-driven bona fide photosynthetic production of NADPH and ATP, similar to plant leaves, which alleviates oxidative stress and inflammation. LEAF acts in two domains. Intracellularly, it integrates with host cells to supply NADPH and ATP via intact photosynthetic electron transport, restoring redox balance. Extracellularly, photosynthesized NADPH enhances endogeneous antioxidant enzyme activity and reduces Reactive Oxygen Species in the local environment. These results establish a strategy for using light as an energy input in mammalian metabolic systems and suggest a possible cross-kingdom, endosymbiosis-like interaction in which animal cells derive functional benefits from plant-derived photosynthetic neo-organelles.
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Cat. No.Product NameDescriptionTargetResearch Area
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target: Fluorescent DyeResearch Areas: Others
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target: Fluorescent DyeResearch Areas: Others
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target: Fluorescent DyeResearch Areas: Cancer