Growth by cell division in shrimp ( Penaeus japonicus) cell culture

Tissues of Penaeus japonicus were primary cultured. Among them, dividing cells in varied shapes were found in primary cultured lymphoid cells and ovarian cells. Cell division processes of 18 lymphoid cells and 18 ovarian cells were studied. It was found that, at metaphase, aligned chromosomes of two dividing lymphoid cells and one dividing ovarian cell rotated 90° and these dividing cells cleaved along the deduced original spindle axis, which suggest that these cells may have carried on asymmetric division-like cell division. These results prove that the culture conditions used are suitable for cultured lymphoid cells and ovarian cells of P. japonicus to proliferate in vitro and that cultured lymphoid cells and ovarian cells still have the ability to carry on cell division. These findings will give a light to the study of continuous shrimp cell line establishment and will also provide us with the knowledge of shrimp cell division.