Going beyond a static picture: the apple snail Pomacea canaliculata can tell us the life history of molluscan hemocytes

More than 40 years of studies on molluscan immunity have revealed a complex and dynamic immune system endowed with multifunctional circulating cells, i.e., hemocytes that are regulated by diverse signaling molecules. However, very little is known about the dynamic processes that drive hemocyte proliferation, differentiation, maturation, and senescence. Evidence reported here highlights how the apple snail Pomacea canaliculata is an extremely promising research organism that will provide answers to the numerous questions regarding the life-history of molluscan and lophotrochozoan hemocytes.