A kleptoprotein is a protein which is not encoded in the genome of the organism which uses it, but instead is obtained through diet from a prey organism. Importantly, a kleptoprotein must maintain its function and be mostly or entirely undigested, drawing a distinction from proteins that are digested for nutrition, which become destroyed and non-functional in the process.
This phenomenon was first reported in the bioluminescent fish Parapriacanthus, which has specialized light organs adapted towards counter-illumination, but obtains the luciferase enzyme within these organs from bioluminescent ostracods, including Cypridina noctiluca or Vargula hilgendorfii.[1]
See also
References
- ^ Bessho-Uehara, Manabu; Yamamoto, Naoyuki; Shigenobu, Shuji; Mori, Hitoshi; Kuwata, Keiko; Oba, Yuichi (2020). "Kleptoprotein bioluminescence: Parapriacanthus fish obtain luciferase from ostracod prey". Science Advances. 6 (2). American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS): eaax4942. Bibcode:2020SciA....6.4942B. doi:10.1126/sciadv.aax4942. ISSN 2375-2548. PMC 6949039. PMID 31934625.
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