Primary cell cultures isolated from Penaeus monodon prawns.

Area of Science:

• Marine biology
• Cell culture technology
• Aquaculture science

Background:

• Marine cell cultures are susceptible to contamination by unicellular eukaryotic organisms like chytrids.
• Distinguishing contaminants from target cells can be challenging without detailed ultrastructure or developmental stage analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a reliable cell culture system for Penaeus monodon prawn cells.
• To develop a method for confirming the identity of cultured prawn cells and distinguishing them from contaminants.

Main Methods:

• Penaeus monodon organs were harvested from adult prawns (13–19 cm length).
• Cell cultures were established using either hematopoietic/lymphoid cells or ovarian cells in a defined synthetic medium.
• Species-specific molecular probes were created from P. monodon repetitive DNA sequences (100–400 bp).
• Probes were hybridized to genomic DNA from cell cultures to confirm P. monodon cell proliferation.

Main Results:

• The cell cultures exhibited rapid division, doubling approximately once per week for 5–6 weeks.
• Cell survival was maintained for at least 5 months, with reduced division rates after the initial 5–6 weeks.
• Molecular probes successfully confirmed the presence and proliferation of P. monodon cells in the cultures.

Conclusions:

• A robust cell culture system for Penaeus monodon has been successfully developed.
• The use of species-specific DNA probes provides a reliable method for verifying cell identity and ensuring culture purity.
• This system has significant implications for advancing research in prawn biology and aquaculture.