Fish tissue cultures

Abstract

Since reports describing their existence in 1962 until the present, fish cell cultures and cell lines have been used as the principal research and diagnostic tools to examine viruses from fish. Of equal importance has been their role for study of the physiology, toxicology, and immunology of many species of fish. Further, these cell cultures and lines have found use in both biomedical and biotechnological research. The ease with which continuous fish cell lines can be established and maintained was recognized early as a distinct advantage over their mammalian counterparts. As a result, 159 fish cell lines representing 74 species of fish have been established and are in use by laboratories worldwide. This journal issue describes some of the many potential uses of these cell cultures and cell lines. We would like to thank the contributing authors who provided the articles contained in this issue. It is our hope that these articles will stimulate additional and even more ingenious investigations into the structure, function and application of fish cells in basic and applied research.