FISHERY BULLETIN; \'0L. 69. NO. 3 



adhesion and phafrocytosis of erythrocytes by 

 phagocytes) simihu- to those of vertebrate anti- 

 bodies. 



A study of natural agghitinins in the serum of 

 California spiny lobsters, PanuUrus interruptiis, 

 for blood and sperm cells of 54 species (repre- 

 senting 7 phyla) was published in 1945 by Tyler 

 and Metz, and is still cited as one of the most 

 comprehensive examinations of its kind for a 

 marine animal. Agglutination was not found in 

 37 other species tested. Titers for positive re- 

 actions ranged from 8 to 256. The most inter- 

 esting phase of the study was an extensive series 

 of absorptions of spiny lobster serum by cells 

 of many of the species tested. In each case, ab- 

 sorption of serum with cells of any single species 

 removed agglutinins for all the species tested 

 that belonged to the same group (Class) but left 

 agglutinins for the cells of all other gi-oups 

 tested. Tyler and Metz concluded, on the basis 

 of absorptions, that at least 10 class-specific 

 agglutinins were present in the serum of the 

 spiny lobster. A few cross-reactions occurred, 

 and some reduction in titers resulted from ab- 

 sorptions with cells of other species, which sug- 

 gested the presence of a number of reacting sites 

 on the cells. 



Bang (1967b) examined the resjionses of the 

 spider crab, Maia sqiiinado, to injections of 

 Anophrys, a large ciliate pathogenic for shore 

 crabs, Carchms maenas. as part of a laudable 

 attempt to repeat with modern methods some of 

 the early French studies of invertebrate de- 

 fenses. Sera of some spider crabs strongly 

 agglutinated the ciliates, but that of others did 

 not. Agglutination resulted from formation of 

 a mucoid substance around the tail cilia. Crabs 

 that lacked the agglutinin died from overwhelm- 

 ing infections of the hemolymph, whereas those 

 with the agglutinin survived (Bang, 1962). 

 When present, the agglutinin was apparently 

 fairly constant, except that in some crabs it 

 was lost spontaneously but temiiorarily at time 

 of molting. Poisson (1930) had noted earlier 

 that the hemolymph of Maia lysed the ciliates 

 and that the hemolymph of the hermit crab, 

 Eupagunis prideauxii, agglutinated them. 



An agglutinin in the hemol.vmph of the hermit 

 crab, Pagitvistes iilreyi, for human type cells, 



and to a lesser e.xtent for types A and B, was 

 reported by Cushing (1967). A number of in- 

 dividuals lacker the hemagglutinin, and some of 

 these possessed a serum factor which inhibited 

 the action in vitro of the positive sera. The 

 analogy to specific soluble substances found in 

 sera of certain vertebrates was pointed out by 

 Cushing, with the suggestion that further studies 

 of this kind with other invertebrates might prove 

 instructive. Cohen (1968) found agglutinins 

 for human and other vertebrate er.vthroc.vtes in 

 sera from coconut crabs, Birgus latro. Young 

 crabs lacked the agglutinins. 



The serum of the American lobster contains 

 strong and specific natural agglutinins for an 

 antigen present on the red blood cells of sea 

 herring, Clupea harengus (Sindermann and 

 Mairs, 1959). Detection of blood groups in this 

 fish was aided by the use of the hemagglutinin — 

 individual herring either had the antigen or 

 lacked it. Titers reached as high as 256, and 

 reactions paralleled those obtained with absorbed 

 rabbit antisera and plant lectins (Sindermann, 

 1963). Erythrocytes of other clupeoid fishes 

 tested were also strongly agglutinated by lobster 

 sera (Sindermann, 1962). 



Precipitating Systems 



Production of i^recipitins by invertebrates has 

 been reported only rarely. Osawa and Yabuubhi 

 (1963), in a very brief paper, found that the 

 "Homard americain, Cambarus clarkii" [prob- 

 ably Homaius america7uis] did not produce 

 agglutinins or lysins when injected with red 

 blood cells but did produce weak precipitins (de- 

 tectible by Immunoelectrophoresis) after in- 

 jection with serum from rabbits and goats. No 

 information was given about dosage, injection 

 schedules, time for response, or titers. 



Stewart and Foley (1969) suggested that a 

 "precipitin-like principle already present in the 

 hemolymi^h" of the American lobster might be 

 important in removal of foreign protein. Fluo- 

 rescein-labelled bovine serum albumin (BSA) 

 and lobster serum proteins were injected into lob- 

 sters held at 5° C. and the fluorescence level 

 checked periodically for 6 days. With lobster 

 serum proteins, an initial decline in fluorescence 



468 



