Some prospects for investigating hydra cellsIn vitro

Summary and Conclusions Over the past 15 years great strides have been taken in the laboratory culture of intact hydra, and in the discovery and elucidation of a wide variety of fundamental biological problems that can be studied using this organism. In the present article I restricted myself mostly to research being conducted in my laboratory on: environmental ions; uptake of food particles: a possible role of CO₂ gas; the unusual collagenous nature of nematocyst capsules; the reproduction of cells from a hydra mutant in otherwise “normal” hydra; and activation of behavioral contraction responses by reduced glutathione and tyrosine. In addition, Dr. Campbell (4) and Dr. Haynes (5) have reviewed much research in developmental biology that is currently taking place using hydra, and which similarly could be enhanced through culture of hydra cells. Although in this review I have placed some emphasis on the present difficulties of raising the cells of hydrain vitro, I still believe that hydra cells can and should be cultured. The culture of cells from an animal at the tissue level of organization is a challenge that ought not to go unanswered.