Scientists: marine “flowers” will help people fight cancer
The immune system of these creatures has a lot in common with a human.
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Tunicates Botryllus schlosseri look how cute the sea “flowers”, but in fact, these invertebrates are aggressive, attacking other tunicates.
Scientists who studied the behavior of these animals, were able to establish that the blame for “aggressive” immune system Botryllus schlosseri. It has many features in common with a human, according to a paper published in Science.
This discovery, researchers hope, will help people to fight rejection of transplanted organs and even cancer.
Like animals tube with a length of three millimeters live in colonies on solid surfaces under water. They grow in the form of “petals”. When growing one colony encounters another, they can either begin to fight each other or ignore the door.
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Scientists managed to establish that if the “meet” of the colony differ in certain proteins, they are in conflict. Similarly operates and the immune system of the human body rejecting the transplanted organ. Scientists were able to isolate a group of cells responsible for this protection.
But beyond that, the body of tunicates were found and a special “killer cells” that destroy foreign cells. In the human body these cells are able to fight tumour cells and viruses.