Flow cytometry (FCM) reveals cellular responses to stem cell factor (SCF) in molluscan immunocytes

摘要

During the last decade, FCM has been successfully applied as a powerful tool for investigating the cellular machinery of invertebrates. Analyses have focused on functions linked to innate immunity, such as phagocytosis and natural killer cell activity, as well as on the sensitivity of invertebrate cells to a particular stress or to different chemical agents (Ottaviani and Cossarizza, 1990, Cossarizza, 2005). In bivalve molluscs, immunocytes (haemocytes) resemble in morphology and function the monocyte/macrophage lineage.