STEM CELLS OF MARINE INVERTEBRATES: REGULATION OF PROLIFERATION AND DIFFERENTIATION PROCESSES IN VITRO
N. A. Odintsova
Institute of Marine Biology of Far East Branch of RAS, Vladivostok;
e-mail: nelodin@mail.ru
Own and literary data pointing to plasticity of stem cells of marine invertebrates are viewed. Stem and embryonic cell cultures of marine invertebrates are
model cell systems with a high level of all physiological and synthetic processes. The production of biological active substances in vitro may become an alternative
to the chemical synthesis or marine aquaculture. The factors involved in determination and maintenance of the pluripotency of marine invertebrate stem cells are
analyzed. The in vitro technology of directional differentiation of marine invertebrate stem cells in certain functionally active cell species includes the use of
different growth factors, various natural and artificial substrates and also the unique biological active substances from marine invertebrate tissues. To increase
expression levels of the cell growth regulatory genes and thus achieve enhanced cell growth, one method of attack was reported using the genetically engineered
constructions with foreign genes. Our knowledge gained in invertebrate systems can help to determine a general mechanism of eukaryote pluripotency, and
cultivated marine invertebrate cells can be used in marine biotechnology.
This work was supported by grants 06-II-CO-06-025 and NT-08-016-04 of the Far East Branch of RAS.
Key words: marine invertebrates, stem cells, cell cultures, directional differentiation
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