This review article is an attempt to trace the evolution of mast cells (MCs). These immune
cells have been identified in all vertebrate classes as single‐lobed cells containing variable …

Urochordates and cephalochordates do not have an adaptive immune system involving the
somatic rearrangement of their antigen receptor genes. They do not have antigen …

Various hemocyte cell types have been described in invertebrates, but for most species a
functional characterization of different hemocyte cell types is still lacking. In order to …

In the present study, we carried out a detailed light microscopy investigation of the
cytochemical properties of the haemocytes of the colonial ascidian Botryllus schlosseri …

Mast cells (MCs) are tissue-based immune cells that participate to both innate and adaptive
immunities as well as to tissue-remodelling processes. Their evolutionary history appears as …

Tunic cells are free cells distributed in the tunic, the integumentary matrix of tunicates. In
ascidians, various types of tunic cells have been described both in solitary and in colonial …

Histocompatibility in the primitive chordate, Botryllus schlosseri, is controlled by a single,
highly polymorphic locus, the FuHC. By taking a forward genetic approach, we have …

Harsh environments enforce the expression of behavioural, morphological, physiological,
and reproductive rejoinders, including torpor. Here we study the morphological, cellular, and …

Background In various ascidian species, circulating stem cells have been documented to be
involved in asexual reproduction and whole-body regeneration. Studies of these cell …

Abstract Whole-body regeneration (WBR)—the formation of an entire adult from only a small
fragment of its own tissue—is extremely rare among chordates. Exceptionally, in the colonial …