Stem Cell Isolation and Transplantation in Hexacorallians; Toward Cell-Therapy for corals

Reef corals are the foundation of ecosystems that host much of the ocean’s biodiversity. They are under severe threat from anthropogenic stressors, particularly global warming. Efforts to mitigate the damage are informed by research on understanding and transferring naturally-occurring resilient genotypes. This has a direct parallel in medicine; cell-/gene-therapy, which is founded on an ability to isolate and then transplant progenitor/stem cells. This ability/technology does not exist for any Hexacorallian species. We are developing robust tools for the isolation, characterization, and transplantation of Hexacorallian candidate stem cells.

We have succeeded in Hexacorallian model of Nematostella vectensis utilizing its transgenic lines. We could follow in-vivo mCherry-positive cells in transplanted animals for up to 2 months. Using confocal microscopy and flow cytometry we showed the integration and proliferation of the transplanted cells into the tissues. We showed cell integration and genetic chimerism using PCR and qPCR. Using serial transplantation, we showed the candidate stem cells longevity. Additionally, using machine learning analysis, we showed cell differentiation to other cell types. Finally, we showed that the candidate stem cell transplantation can rescue animals from lethal chemotherapy treatments.

Since we are using species non-specific methods we show our capability of isolating those candidate stem cells from another two Hexacorallian species, including the stony coral Pocillopora damicornis. In this work we utilize medical approaches toward ecological problems. This is the first success in transplantation of adult candidate stem cells in Hexacorallian species.

^{Funding from ERC grant agreement No. 948476, and Revive and Restore organization.}