• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

PRESSLED

Your Leading News Source

PRESSLED
Your Leading News Source

  • Home
  • BUSINESS
  • MONEY
  • POLITICS
  • REAL ESTATE
  • US
  • Meet the Reporters
  • About/Contact

Scientists have cultured the first stable coral cell lines

May 14, 2021 by Staff Reporter

IMAGE: A colony of Acropora tenuis grown in a natural sea environment and transferred to an aquarium to induce spawning.
view more 

Credit: Reproduced from

  • Researchers have successfully grown cells from the stony coral, Acropora tenuis, in petri dishes
  • The cell lines were created by separating out cells from coral larvae, which then developed into eight distinct cell types
  • Seven out of eight cell types were stable and could grow indefinitely, remaining viable even after freezing
  • Some of the cell types represented endoderm-like cells, and could therefore shed light on how coral interacts with photosynthesizing algae and how bleaching occurs
  • The cell lines could be used in many avenues of coral cell research, including coral development, coral farming and the impact of climate change and pollution

Researchers in Japan have established sustainable cell lines in a coral, according to a study published today in Marine Biotechnology.

Seven out of eight cell cultures, seeded from the stony coral, Acropora tenuis, have continuously proliferated for over 10 months, the scientists reported.

“Establishing stable cells lines for marine organisms, especially coral, has proven very difficult in the past,” said Professor Satoh, senior author of the study and head of the Marine Genomics Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST). “This success could prove to be a pivotal moment for gaining a deeper understanding of the biology of these vitally important animals.”

Acropora tenuis belongs to the Acroporidae family, the most common type of coral found within tropical and subtropical reefs. These stony corals are fast growers and therefore play a crucial role in the structural formation of coral reefs.

However, Acroporidae corals are particularly susceptible to changes in ocean conditions, often undergoing bleaching events when temperatures soar or when oceans acidify. Establishing knowledge about the basic biology of these corals through cell lines could one day help protect them against climate change, explained Professor Satoh.

Creating the cultures

In the study, Professor Satoh worked closely with Professor Kaz Kawamura from Kochi University – an expert in developing and maintaining cell cultures of marine organisms.

Since adult coral host a wide variety of microscopic marine organisms, the group chose to try creating the cell lines from coral larvae to reduce the chances of cross-contamination. Another benefit of using larval cells was that they divide more easily than adult cells, potentially making them easier to culture.

The researchers used coral specimens in the lab to isolate both eggs and sperm and fertilize the eggs. Once the coral larvae developed, they separated the larvae into individual cells and grew them in petri dishes.

Initially, the culture attempts ended in failure. “Small bubble bodies appeared and then occupied most of the petri dish,” said Professor Kaz Kawamura. “We later found that these were the fragments of dying stony coral cells.”

In the second year, the group discovered that by adding a protease called plasmin to the cell culture medium, right at the beginning of the culture, they could stop the stony coral cells from dying and keep them growing.

Two to three weeks later, the larval cells developed into eight different cell types, which varied in color, form and gene activity. Seven out of the eight continued to divide indefinitely to form new coral cells.

Exploring the symbiosis integral to coral survival

One of the most exciting advancements of this study was that some of the cell lines were similar in form and gene activity to endodermal cells. The endoderm is the inner layer of cells formed about a day after the coral eggs are fertilized.

Importantly, it is the cells in the endoderm that incorporate the symbiotic algae, which photosynthesize and provide nutrients to sustain the coral.

“At this point in time, the most urgent need in coral biology is to understand the interaction between the coral animal and its photosynthetic symbiont at the cellular level, and how this relationship collapses under stress, leading to coral bleaching and death,” said Professor David Miller, a leading coral biologist from James Cook University, Australia, who was not involved in the study.

He continued: “Subject to confirmation that these cells in culture represent coral endoderm, detailed molecular analyses of the coral/photosymbiont interaction would then be possible – and from this, real advances in understanding and perhaps preventing coral bleaching could be expected to flow.”

For Professor Satoh, his interest is in how the photosymbiotic algae cells, which are almost as big as the larval cells, initially enter the coral.

“The algae are incorporated into the coral cells around a week after the larvae first develop,” said Prof. Satoh. “But no one has yet observed this endosymbiotic event on a single-cell level before.”

A new era for coral cell research

The scientists also found that the coral cell lines were still viable after being frozen with liquid nitrogen and then thawed. “This is crucial for being able to successfully supply the coral cell lines to research laboratories across the globe,” said Professor Satoh.

The implications for future research using these cell lines are far-reaching, ranging from research on how single coral cells respond to pollution or higher temperatures, to studying how corals produce the calcium carbonate that builds their skeleton.

Research could also provide further insight into how corals develop, which could improve our ability to farm coral.

In future research, the team hopes to establish cells lines that are clonal, meaning every cell in the culture is genetically identical.

“This will give us a much clearer idea of exactly which coral cell types we are growing, for example gut-like cells or nerve-like cells, by looking at which genes are switched on and off in the cells,” said Professor Satoh.

###

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.

Originally Appeared On: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-04/oios-ses042221.php

Filed Under: TECH/SCIENCE, Uncategorized

Primary Sidebar

More to See

Google suffers setback in UK over abuse of ad tech dominance

The UK’s antitrust watchdog started a new investigation of Alphabet Inc.’s Google, over suspicions it may have abused its dominant position across its … [Read More...] about Google suffers setback in UK over abuse of ad tech dominance

Nvidia’s bounce could be a hint that the market has fallen enough for now

This is the daily notebook of Mike Santoli, CNBC's senior markets commentator, with ideas about trends, stocks and market statistics. Dip-buyers have … [Read More...] about Nvidia’s bounce could be a hint that the market has fallen enough for now

For New York Tech, a new marketing campaign

New York Tech has launched a new integrated marketing campaign, appearing on Long Island and in New York City. The “A Place for You” campaign includes … [Read More...] about For New York Tech, a new marketing campaign

Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions | About/ Contact
Copyright © 2022 · PRESSLED · As Amazon Associates we earn commissions from qualifying purchases · Log in

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT