The use of immunology and stem cell transplantation in new frontiers; Immunity and stem cell transplantation for corals 2781

Description We will present how we transformed biomedical research into projects in Hexacorallia. First, we will describe our cellular and functional characterization of coral and anemone immune cells, focusing on the phagocytic cell population. We demonstrate that corals and anemones have immune phagocytic cells, which are different from digestive and pinocytosis cells. Our data demonstrates that immune activity is upregulated in heat stress. Moreover, we will show that the immune system is at the base of the bleaching effect. The second project is the development of stem cell transplantation for Hexacorallians. Our aim is to develop the transformation of resilience through stem cell therapy, using stem cell transplantation. We succeed in Nematostella vectensis as a model. Using this, we could follow in vivo mCherry-positive cells in transplanted animals for up to 2 months. Using confocal microscopy and flow cytometry, we showed the integration and proliferation of the transplanted cells into the tissue. Additionally, we showed cell integration and differentiation with RNA-seq. Using serial transplantation, we showed the longevity of our candidate-enriched stem cells. We show classical stem cell gene expression and differentiation on the molecular level. Finally, we showed that the candidate stem cell transplantation can rescue animals from leather chemotherapy treatments. Showing the potential of cell therapy in corals. Funding Sources B.R. has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 948476. N.T.-K. and B.R. were supported by the Revive and Restore grant (no. 2020-011) and by the NSF-BSF Integrative and Organismal Systems (IOS) grant (BSF grant no. 2019647, NSF grant no. 1951826).