| Summary: | In the ascidian Botryllus schlosseri, we studied the effects of hemocyte incubation with foreigncells, such as bacteria, bacterial spores and yeast. In the presence of yeast and bacterial spores,morula cells, a common cell type in botryllid ascidians, changed their morphology, releasephenoloxidase in the medium, thus causing an increase in cytotoxicity, and express moleculesrecognised by anti-IL-1-a- and anti-TNF-a-antibodies. These effects were not observed whenhemocytes were incubated with both gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and gram-negative(Escherichia coli) bacteria. Considering that morula cells are the main source of molecules recognisedby anti-cytokine-antibodies we suggest an immunosurveillance role of these cells, which may influenceimmune responses such as phagocytosis.
|
|---|