In the last decade, a large body of evidence has demonstrated that hematopoiesis, angiogenesis, immune response and cytokines regulating the occurrence of these processes have been highly conserved across Vertebrates and various invertebrate phyla. Here we provide a broad overview of medicinal leech hematopoiesis and we highlight the benefits of using the medicinal leech, having a simple anatomy and a repertoire of less varied cell types when compared to Vertebrates, as a powerful model for studying basic steps of hematopoiesis and immune responses. In particular, leeches’ hematopoietic stem precursor cells (HSPCs), deriving from the activated botryoidal tissue, seem to share with their Vertebrates counterpart most morpho-functional and molecular mechanisms. HSPCs are massively recruited from the bloodstream towards sites of inflammation in response to injury, bacterial injection, or experimental administration of cytokines and contribute to immune response, neovascularization and muscle regeneration. Further, similar to Vertebrates these cells are driven toward a leukocyte, endothelial or myogenic, differentiation pathway, as a function of the time course of VEGF release to target cells. Since investigations on hematopoiesis can greatly help scientists and clinicians to better understand the pathological processes behind blood disorders, cancers and muscle regeneration, HSPCs of medicinal leech can be used as a powerful model system for understanding tissue stem cells and their role in angiogenesis, tissue regeneration and oncogenesis.

The medicinal leech as a useful tool for studying haematopoiesis, angiogenesis and innate immune response

Grimaldi
Conceptualization
;
R Girardello
Methodology
;
N Baranzini
Methodology
;
G Tettamanti
Membro del Collaboration Group
;
M de Eguileor
Membro del Collaboration Group
2017-01-01

Abstract

In the last decade, a large body of evidence has demonstrated that hematopoiesis, angiogenesis, immune response and cytokines regulating the occurrence of these processes have been highly conserved across Vertebrates and various invertebrate phyla. Here we provide a broad overview of medicinal leech hematopoiesis and we highlight the benefits of using the medicinal leech, having a simple anatomy and a repertoire of less varied cell types when compared to Vertebrates, as a powerful model for studying basic steps of hematopoiesis and immune responses. In particular, leeches’ hematopoietic stem precursor cells (HSPCs), deriving from the activated botryoidal tissue, seem to share with their Vertebrates counterpart most morpho-functional and molecular mechanisms. HSPCs are massively recruited from the bloodstream towards sites of inflammation in response to injury, bacterial injection, or experimental administration of cytokines and contribute to immune response, neovascularization and muscle regeneration. Further, similar to Vertebrates these cells are driven toward a leukocyte, endothelial or myogenic, differentiation pathway, as a function of the time course of VEGF release to target cells. Since investigations on hematopoiesis can greatly help scientists and clinicians to better understand the pathological processes behind blood disorders, cancers and muscle regeneration, HSPCs of medicinal leech can be used as a powerful model system for understanding tissue stem cells and their role in angiogenesis, tissue regeneration and oncogenesis.
2017
Grimaldi, Annalisa; Girardello, R; Baranzini, N; Tettamanti, G; DE EGUILEOR, MAGDA ANNA
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11383/2075015
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