Crustacean Organ and Cell Culture

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the crustacean organ and cell culture. Crustacean organ and cell culture techniques have been utilized for decades by physiologists, biochemists, endocrinologists, and pathologists. The utilization of in vitro techniques has coincided with the increased interest in the biology of crustaceans. The present surge of interest is likely because of a number of different factors. Crustaceans,especially the decapod Crustacea, supply a significant portion of the aquatic protein consumed by humans. A great deal of research is currently devoted to the aquaculture of several commercially important species. Crustaceans possess some unusual physiological and biochemical features that make them amenable model biological systems,for example, the large ganglia and axons of crayfish and lobsters, the inability of crustaceans to synthesize endogenous cholesterol from acetate, and the ability to regenerate autotomized limbs. With the increased use of insecticides, their effects on the closely related crustaceans are being more actively studied. The chapter presents some historical aspects of crustacean organ culture also reviews the primary disciplinary thrusts of research interests in the field. Crustacean organ culture has been utilized for decades and has proved to be an extremely valuable model system for the investigation of many physiological processes,for example, osmoregulation, neurophysiology, and endocrinology.