Biotechnology and Bioinformatics (1+1)

3.1.1. Introduction

Cell culture refers to cultures derived from dispersed cells taken from the original tissue. These cultures have lost their histological properties and often some of the biochemical properties associated with it. A large number and variety of continuous fish cell cultures have been developed during the past four decades since the first such cell culture was reported.

Basically the fish cell culture differs only slightly from the much more widely used techniques of mammalian cell and tissue culture . The major differences being,

• first in temperature requirements and tolerances and
• second, in osmolarity of salines and media.

For freshwater fishes, the mammalian type solutions are entirely satisfactory but for marine fishes, satisfactory results are obtained with increased osmolarity.

The important factor responsible for the development of fish culture is its application in fish virology. A virus is an obligate intracellular parasite and as such, can replicate only within a living cell.