Monitoring chemical and physical stress using sea urchin immune cells.
Matranga, V ; Pinsino, a ; Celi, M ; et al. ; - ASI Sponsor
Jan - 2005
ISSN : 0079-6484 ;
journal : Progress in molecular and subcellular biology
type: Article Journal

Abstract
Coelomocytes are the cells freely circulating in the body fluid contained in echinoderm coelom and constitute the defence system, which, in response to injuries, host invasion, and adverse conditions, is capable of chemotaxis, phagocytosis, and production of cytotoxic metabolites. Red and colourless amoebocytes, petaloid and philopodial phagocytes, and vibratile cells are the cell types that, in different proportions, constitute the mixed coelomocyte cell population found in sea urchins. Advances in cellular and molecular biology have made it possible to identify a number of specific proteins expressed in coelomocytes under resting conditions or when activated by experimentally induced stress. Only recently, coelomocytes have been used for pollution studies with the aim of introducing a new biosensor for detection of stress at both cellular and molecular levels, as sentinel of sea health. In this chapter, we briefly review the important features of these valuable cells and describe studies on their use in the laboratory and in the field for the assessment of chemical and physical pollution of the sea.

keywords : Agglutinins,Agglutinins: chemistry,Animals,Biosensing Techniques,Cell Adhesion,Cell Differentiation,Chemotaxis,Immune System,Immune System: physiology,Inflammation,Lectins,Lectins: chemistry,Monitoring, Physiologic,Phagocytes,Phagocytes: physiology,Phagocytosis,Sea Urchins,Sea Urchins: immunology,Sea Urchins: physiology,Stem Cells,Stem Cells: cytology,Water Pollutants,Water Pollutants: analysis