Pv11 cells, a cultured cell line derived from the sleeping chironomid Polypedilum vanderplanki that exhibits extreme desiccation tolerance, can be preserved in the dry state at room temperature for long term while retaining the capacity to resume proliferation. Nevertheless, the precise mechanism by which they resume their vital functions remains to be elucidated. A joint research team led by National Agriculture and Food Research Organization(NARO) has revealed that the recently isolated trehalose transporter STRT1 is responsible for the efficient release of trehalose, which acts as a desiccation protection in desiccated cells, into the extracellular medium upon rehydration. Thus, the function of STRT1 is crucial in the resumption of vital functions in Pv11 cells from a desiccated state. It is expected that this result will facilitate the development of technology that will enable animal cells, which cannot normally be preserved in a desiccated state, to resume their vital functions after long-term storage at room temperature.
Overview
Cultured animal cells are a valuable resource in the development of pharmaceuticals and in medical and agricultural research. One of the most common methods for the long-term storage of animal cells is the cryopreservation process, whereby the cells are frozen at ultra-low temperatures of nearly -200°C using liquid nitrogen and then maintained at that temperature. However, the maintenance of the frozen state necessitates a continuous supply of liquid nitrogen and power to the cryogenic freezer, and temperature control is a costly process. Conversely, certain living organisms can resume their metabolism, cell proliferation, and other vital activities with the addition of water, even though their vital activities have been completely suspended for over a decade at ambient temperature and in a completely dry environment. This desiccation tolerance is referred to as anhydrobiosis, and many of anhydrobiotic animals have been observed to accumulate significant quantities of trehalose, a protective agent against the detrimental effects of desiccation, within their bodies. Nevertheless, even if non-anhydrobiotic animal cells are allowed to accumulate trehalose and then undergo desiccation, their metabolism and proliferation will not resume following rehydration, resulting in cellular rupture.
A collaborative research team led by NARO, exploited Pv11 cultured cells derived from the anhydrobiotic insect Polypedilum vanderplanki, to elucidate the mechanism by which vital functions resume upon rehydration.
The research team demonstrated for the first time that the recently isolated trehalose transporter STRT1 effectively exports trehalose from the cells during rehydration, thereby playing a crucial role in suppressing rapid increases in osmotic pressure and preventing cell rupture due to the influx of water into the cells.
Should the complete mechanism of anhydrobiosis could be elucidated in future research, then it is anticipated that this finding could be employed in the development of a technology capable of temporarily halting the vital activities of animal cells, thereby enabling their preservation in a dry state at room temperature for extended periods.
Publication
Kosuke Mizutani, Yuki Yoshida, Eita Nakanishi, Yugo Miyata, Shoko Tokumoto, Hiroto Fuse, Oleg Gusev, Shingo Kikuta, and Takahiro Kikawada. (2024) A sodium-dependent trehalose transporter contributes to anhydrobiosis in insect cell line, Pv11. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 121 (14) e2317254121.
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2317254121 (Published: March 29, 2024)
