Establishment of cell lines from marine invertebrates by inducing cellular stemness

Establishment of cell lines is of great significance in the field of biology. Contrary to the field of insect research, in which development of various cell lines has become routine, the marine invertebrate cell culture research has remained at the primary culture stage. Not a single marine invertebrate immortal cell line has been established yet even after decades of research. This paper discusses the research progress in the field of marine invertebrate cell culture in the recent years. It also discusses the basic principle behind the development of immortal cell lines from marine invertebrates through induction of cellular stemness. At first, induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells of marine animals must be prepared. The technology used for developing iPS cells of mammals and other vertebrates is quite developed and involves dedifferentiation of somatic cells into iPS cells using transcription factors. Another method that can be used for developing iPS cells involves the use of adult stem cells (ASCs) from marine animals. There are a large number of ASCs in marine invertebrates; the ASCs play an important role in many processes, such as organism development and reproduction. Under certain culture conditions, iPS cells and ASCs of marine invertebrates can form immortal cell lines using characteristics of self-generated stem cells.