Genome sequencing of sequestered chloroplast by Plakobranchus ocellatus

Some sacoglossan sea slugs sequester chloroplasts from the algal food in their cells and photosynthesize for up to several months; this temporary symbiosis is referred to as kleptoplasty. Protein synthesis in sequestered chloroplasts (kleptoplasts) has been reported in a sea slug species and has been assumed to be needed for maintaining photosynthetic activity. Although the kleptoplast gene complement has been predicted based on limited knowledge about the source algal chloroplast DNA, no whole kleptoplast genome sequences have been reported, and the mechanisms of the self-renewal capacity of kleptoplasts remain unclear. To revel the self-renewal capacity of, we revealed kleptoplast DNAs in the sea slug Plakobranchus ocellatus.