title: The cytotoxic reaction of hemocytes from the freshwater crayfish, Astacus astacus.
abstract: Crayfish hemocytes displayed cytotoxic capacity towards all tested mammalian tumor and nontumor cell lines. The ratio required for the cytotoxic action of effector cells to target cells was at least 1:1. The lysis of the target cells required a minimum of 1 hr to become detected. After separation and isolation of the hemocyte populations of crayfish, the semigranular and granular cells retained their cytotoxic capacity. These cells contain the prophenoloxidase activating (proPO) system, a complement-like pathway, which in an activated form lyses semigranular cells in vitro, but failed to kill the tested target cells.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003400:Astacoidea / Q000276:immunology*; D001773:Blood Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D002460:Cell Line; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000276:immunology; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000276:immunology; D006434:Hemocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology; D012617:Sea Urchins / Q000276:immunology; D012756:Sheep