Development of leucocyte cell lines for immunological research in teleost fish

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White blood cells, or leucocytes, are the cell that defence the body from infections and provide disease resistance. Research into the function of leucocytes is greatly aided in mammals by the availability of many leucocyte cell lines, that allow a lot of research to be performed using culture systems without the need to harvest tissues and cells from animals. These developments have been possible in large part by the discovery of many leucocyte growth factors, that can be produced using molecular methodologies, and added to the cultures as growth supplements. In this proposal we aim to develop leucocyte cell lines for fish, due to increasing use of fish by researchers, partly as a consequence of the major expansion of aquaculture and its associated needs (eg fish health issues). The applicants are internationally renown for their work on the fish equivalents of the leucocyte growth factors, and so can produce relevant proteins to encourage leucocytes to grow in vitro. Several different approaches will be taken to generate the cell lines, and some preliminary characterisation is proposed, so that they will quickly become a valuable resource for researchers. In addition to a reduction in the numbers of fish being used, a reduction in fish suffering should also follow this development, since the cell lines will also allow preliminary in vitro testing of compounds and chemicals to see if they affect leucocyte function, before testing in live fish.