title: Cytotoxic activity of blowfly Calliphora vicina hemocytes.
abstract: The cytotoxic activity of hemocytes isolated from larvae of the blowfly Calliphora vicina was tested using human myelogenous leukemia K562 cells as target. Both single cell and cytotoxicity assays demonstrated that the hemocytes recognize the K562 cells as nonself, firmly attach to their surface and induce target destruction in a manner resembling the effect of mammalian cytotoxic lymphocytes. The cytotoxic activity increased dramatically in the course of larval metamorphosis and was considerably higher shortly before the onset of pupariation, compared to the activity of human peripheral blood or mouse spleen lymphocytes. In insects, the cytotoxic hemocytes may take part in defense against eukaryotic parasites and in the elimination of aberrant self cells, as well as in developmental processes such as metamorphosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, Biological Institute of St. Petersburg State University, Oranienbaumskoye shosse 2, 198504 St. Petersburg, Russia. chernish@comset.net
authors.forename: Sergey I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Chernysh
authors.forename: Natalia A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Filatova
authors.forename: Natalia S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Chernysh
authors.forename: Alexander P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Nesin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003601:Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic; D004175:Diptera / Q000276:immunology*; D006434:Hemocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007814:Larva / Q000276:immunology; D008675:Metamorphosis, Biological / Q000276:immunology*; D012426:Russia; D012588:Scintillation Counting; D014316:Tritium; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D014316:Tritium