Editorial: The role of red blood cells in the immune response of fish

Abstract

The role of red blood cells in the immune response of fish The role of nucleated red blood cells (RBCs) as cellular mediators of the immune response in fish has emerged as a hot research subject that has attracted fish immunologists' attention during the past decade. Fish are the most primitive vertebrates, possessing many of the cell types and molecules found in higher vertebrates. However, the immune system of fish is peculiarly dissimilar to that of higher vertebrates. Immune response is still poorly understood in most fish species, particularly in species recently introduced to aquaculture. These facts have limited the development of strategies to combat infectious diseases so far. Concerning fish RBCs, a number of biological processes relevant to immunity had been described for them: (i) pathogen recognition; (ii) clearance of pathogens by means of binding microbial immune complexes and (iii) production of cytokines or specific signalling molecules in response to pathogens. This Special Issue aimed to gather new research findings and advances on the role of RBCs in mediating the immune response in fish, with the hope that this forum could foster further collaborations in this emerging area of research.

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