The goldfish primary kidney macrophage system.

Miodrag (Mike) Belosevic and collaborators profoundly influenced the development of primary kidney macrophage culturing system (PKM) to study fish immunology in various aspects of comparative immunology. Their application of using PKM model, opened a new path for studying the development of macrophages, regulation of hematopoiesis, and cell specific response against various pathogens. By measuring histopathological and immunological outcomes, the biological implications of a variety of cytokines and signal transduction molecules could be elucidated with the established PKM system. A variety of growth factors mediating hematopoiesis and cytokines regulating the immune responses were functionally characterized, which served as a fundamental basis for making goldfish an excellent model to study fish immunology. Specifically, using in vivo and PKM based in vitro assays, the Belosevic lab advanced the goldfish-M. marinum model to study the anti-mycobacteria responses in teleosts, thus paving a way for the development of novel therapeutic approaches which could be applied in aquaculture settings or utilized as a model for human disease. In this review, we will look at the contribution of Dr. Mike Belosevic to teleost macrophage development, multiple cytokine functional characterization, and host-pathogen interactions.