title: Earthworm coelomocytes in vitro: cellular features and "granuloma" formation during cytotoxic activity against the mammalian tumor cell target K562.
abstract: Earthworms possess specific, adaptive, cellular immunodefense as well as non-specific responses found in other complex metazoans. Here we characterized coelomocytes from the earthworm Eisenia foetida by electron microscopy and cytofluorimetric analyses, and investigated structural changes that occur when effector coelomocytes and target K562 erythromyeloid human tumor cells interact during cytotoxic activity. In in vitro cultures 1) the two earthworm cell types (i.e. small and large coelomocytes) retained their morphological features; 2) their DNA content was significantly less than that of human lymphocytes and the erythromyeloid human tumor cell line K562; 3) significant percentages of coelomocytes were found to be in S or G2/M phases of the cell cycle. When cultivated alone for up to 3 h, coelomocytes formed no aggregates. However, when mixed with K562, coelomocytes spontaneously killed tumor cells, and cytotoxic reactivity was accompanied by the formation of multiple aggregates similar to granulomas. These results are the first to describe this type of earthworm non-specific "inflammatory" response in vitro against tumor cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Modena, Italy.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Quaglino
authors.forename: E L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Salvioli
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Capri
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: I P
authors.initials: IP
authors.lastname: Ronchetti
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Franceschi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cossarizza
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002449:Cell Aggregation / Q000502:physiology; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000502:physiology; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006099:Granuloma; D006801:Humans; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009835:Oligochaeta / Q000166:cytology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D004247:DNA