From blood to brain – stem cell differentiation in a decapod crustacean

Stem cells are important in tissue homeostasis during adult life of all animals.

In order to maintain their multipotency and for the differentiation process to be regulated correctly, stem cells are normally located in special stem cell niches. One such niche is the hematopoietic tissue (HPT) in decapod crustaceans.

We have shown that this tissue in the freshwater crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus harbors multipotent stem cells that produce blood cells but also generate neural precursor cells of the olfactory lobe in the brain.

Our goal is to decipher the different differentiation pathways in the stem cell niche, especially those leading to development of new neuronal precursor cells which further differentiate to new neurons and retina.

We will determine how differentiation in the HPT is affected by brain injury, as we know that cells are recruited from this tissue to an injured retina, or after breaking an antenna.

We will elucidate the role of iron binding proteins and mitophagy during the first step when stem cells are entering a differentiation pathway.

Due to their lack of erythrocytes, which are loaded with iron in mammalian blood, crayfish are well suited for studies about the role of iron in mitophagy.

We aim for a comprehensive understanding of adult stem cell biology in invertebrates, specifically crustaceans, and to expand the knowledge about different cell trajectories induced by stimulation of adult neurogenesis, brain injury or infections by fungi or bacteria.