Planarian regeneration: achievements and future directions after 20 years of research

A quantitative metabolomics peek into planarian regeneration

The fresh water planarian species Schmidtea mediterranea is an emerging stem cell model because of its capability to regenerate a whole animal from a small piece of tissue. It is one of the best model systems to address the basic mechanisms essential for regeneration. Here, we are interested in studying the roles of various amines, thiols and nucleotides in planarian regeneration, stem cell function and growth. We developed mass spectrometry based quantitative methods and validated the differential enrichment of 35 amines, 7 thiol metabolites and 4 nucleotides from both intact and regenerating planarians. Among the amines, alanine in sexual and asparagine in asexual are the highest (>1000 ng/mg) in the intact planarians. The levels of thiols such as cysteine and GSH are 651 and 1107 ng mg(-1) in planarians. Among the nucleotides, the level of cGMP is the lowest (0.03 ng mg(-1)) and the level of AMP is the highest (187 ng mg(-1)) in both of the planarian strains. We also noticed increasing levels of amines in both anterior and posterior regenerating planarians. The blastema from day 3 regenerating planarians also showed higher amounts of many amines. Interestingly, the thiol (cysteine and GSH) levels are well maintained during planarian regeneration. This suggests an inherent and effective mechanism to control induced oxidative stress because of the robust regeneration and stem cell proliferation. Like in intact planarians, the level of cGMP is also very low in regenerating planarians. Surprisingly, the levels of amines and thiols in head regenerating blastemas are ∼3 times higher compared to those for tail regenerating blastemas. Thus our results strongly indicate the potential roles of amines, thiols and nucleotides in planarian regeneration.

Persistent conditioned place preference to cocaine and withdrawal hypo-locomotion to mephedrone in the flatworm planaria

The purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of exposure to cocaine and mephedrone on conditioned place preference (CPP) and locomotion in the flatworm planaria. Planaria were treated with either cocaine or mephedrone at 1 or 10 μM. Planaria were exposed to 15 min of drug in their non-preferred place (either a rough- or smooth-floored petri dish) on alternate days, and were exposed to normal water in their preferred place on the following day. There were 5 days of conditioning to drug. Planaria were then tested for CPP on day 2, 6 and 13 after withdrawal. We found that animals exhibited CPP to cocaine at both 1 and 10 μM, but not to mephedrone. When examining locomotor activity we found that neither cocaine nor mephedrone treatment showed any evidence of evoking increased motility or locomotor sensitisation. Hypo-motility was seen on the first day of conditioning at concentrations of 10 μM for both cocaine and mephedrone, but had disappeared by the last day of conditioning. Examining chronic withdrawal, only 10 μM mephedrone had a significant effect on motility, decreasing locomotion on day 2 of withdrawal. Taken together we have shown that cocaine evoked CPP in planaria. We have also shown withdrawal depressing effects of mephedrone on motility.

Bioelectrical regulation of cell cycle and the planarian model system

Cell cycle regulation through the manipulation of endogenous membrane potentials offers tremendous opportunities to control cellular processes during tissue repair and cancer formation. However, the molecular mechanisms by which biophysical signals modulate the cell cycle remain underappreciated and poorly understood. Cells in complex organisms generate and maintain a constant voltage gradient across the plasma membrane known as the transmembrane potential. This potential, generated through the combined efforts of various ion transporters, pumps and channels, is known to drive a wide range of cellular processes such as cellular proliferation, migration and tissue regeneration while its deregulation can lead to tumorigenesis. These cellular regulatory events, coordinated by ionic flow, correspond to a new and exciting field termed molecular bioelectricity. We aim to present a brief discussion on the biophysical machinery involving membrane potential and the mechanisms mediating cell cycle progression and cancer transformation. Furthermore, we present the planarian Schmidtea mediterranea as a tractable model system for understanding principles behind molecular bioelectricity at both the cellular and organismal level. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Membrane channels and transporters in cancers.

Endogenous bioelectrical networks store non-genetic patterning information during development and regeneration

Pattern formation, as occurs during embryogenesis or regeneration, is the crucial link between genotype and the functions upon which selection operates. Even cancer and aging can be seen as challenges to the continuous physiological processes that orchestrate individual cell activities toward the anatomical needs of an organism. Thus, the origin and maintenance of complex biological shape is a fundamental question for cell, developmental, and evolutionary biology, as well as for biomedicine. It has long been recognized that slow bioelectrical gradients can control cell behaviors and morphogenesis. Here, I review recent molecular data that implicate endogenous spatio-temporal patterns of resting potentials among non-excitable cells as instructive cues in embryogenesis, regeneration, and cancer. Functional data have implicated gradients of resting potential in processes such as limb regeneration, eye induction, craniofacial patterning, and head-tail polarity, as well as in metastatic transformation and tumorigenesis. The genome is tightly linked to bioelectric signaling, via ion channel proteins that shape the gradients, downstream genes whose transcription is regulated by voltage, and transduction machinery that converts changes in bioelectric state to second-messenger cascades. However, the data clearly indicate that bioelectric signaling is an autonomous layer of control not reducible to a biochemical or genetic account of cell state. The real-time dynamics of bioelectric communication among cells are not fully captured by transcriptomic or proteomic analyses, and the necessary-and-sufficient triggers for specific changes in growth and form can be physiological states, while the underlying gene loci are free to diverge. The next steps in this exciting new field include the development of novel conceptual tools for understanding the anatomical semantics encoded in non-neural bioelectrical networks, and of improved biophysical tools for reading and writing electrical state information into somatic tissues. Cracking the bioelectric code will have transformative implications for developmental biology, regenerative medicine, and synthetic bioengineering.

Dugesia sicula (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida): the colonizing success of an asexual Planarian

BACKGROUND

Dugesia sicula is the only species of its genus not presenting an endemic or restricted distribution within the Mediterranean area. It mostly comprises fissiparous populations (asexual reproduction by body division and regeneration), most likely sexually sterile, and characterized by an extremely low genetic diversity interpreted as the consequence of a recent anthropic expansion. However, its fissiparous reproduction can result in an apparent lack of diversity within the species, since genetic variation within individuals can be as large as between them because most individuals within a population are clones. We have estimated haplotype and nucleotide diversity of cytochrome oxidase I within and among individuals along the species distribution of a broad sample of D. sicula, including asexual and the two only sexual populations known today; and predicted its potential distribution based on climatic variables. Our aim was to determine the centre of colonisation origin, whether the populations are recent, and whether the species is expanding.

RESULTS

The species presents 3 most frequent haplotypes, differing in a maximum of 11 base pairs. As expected from their fissiparous mode of reproduction, in half of all the analysed localities many individuals have multiple heteroplasmic haplotypes. The distribution of haplotypes is not geographically structured; however, the distribution of haplotypes and heteroplasmic populations shows higher diversity in the central Mediterranean region. The potential distribution predicted by climatic variables based modelling shows a preference for coastal areas and fits well with the observed data.

CONCLUSIONS

The distribution and frequency of the most frequent haplotypes and the presence of heteroplasmic individuals allow us to gain an understanding of the recent history of the species, together with previous knowledge on its phylogenetic relationships and age: The species most probably originated in Africa and dispersed through the central Mediterranean. After one or multiple populations became triploid and fissiparous, the species colonized the Mediterranean basin, likely both by its own means and helped by human activities. Its present distribution practically fulfils its potential distribution as modelled with climatic variables. Its prevalence in coastal regions with higher water temperatures predicts a likely future expansion to northern and more interior areas following the increase in temperatures due to climate change.

The roles of endogenous retinoid signaling in organ and appendage regeneration

The ability to regenerate injured or lost body parts has been an age-old ambition of medical science. In contrast to humans, teleost fish and urodele amphibians can regrow almost any part of the body with seeming effortlessness. Retinoic acid is a molecule that has long been associated with these impressive regenerative capacities. The discovery 30 years ago that addition of retinoic acid to regenerating amphibian limbs causes "super-regeneration" initiated investigations into the presumptive roles of retinoic acid in regeneration of appendages and other organs. However, the evidence favoring or dismissing a role for endogenous retinoids in regeneration processes remained sparse and ambiguous. Now, the availability of genetic tools to manipulate and visualize the retinoic acid signaling pathway has opened up new routes to dissect its roles in regeneration. Here, we review the current understanding on endogenous functions of retinoic acid in regeneration and discuss key questions to be addressed in future research.

An automated training paradigm reveals long-term memory in planarians and its persistence through head regeneration

Planarian flatworms are a popular system for research into the molecular mechanisms that enable these complex organisms to regenerate their entire body, including the brain. Classical data suggest that they may also be capable of long-term memory. Thus, the planarian system may offer the unique opportunity to study brain regeneration and memory in the same animal. To establish a system for the investigation of the dynamics of memory in a regenerating brain, we developed a computerized training and testing paradigm that avoided the many issues that confounded previous, manual attempts to train planarians. We then used this new system to train flatworms in an environmental familiarization protocol. We show that worms exhibit environmental familiarization, and that this memory persists for at least 14 days - long enough for the brain to regenerate. We further show that trained, decapitated planarians exhibit evidence of memory retrieval in a savings paradigm after regenerating a new head. Our work establishes a foundation for objective, high-throughput assays in this molecularly tractable model system that will shed light on the fundamental interface between body patterning and stored memories. We propose planarians as key emerging model species for mechanistic investigations of the encoding of specific memories in biological tissues. Moreover, this system is lik ely to have important implications for the biomedicine of stem-cell-derived treatments of degenerative brain disorders in human adults.

Modeling planarian regeneration: a primer for reverse-engineering the worm

A mechanistic understanding of robust self-assembly and repair capabilities of complex systems would have enormous implications for basic evolutionary developmental biology as well as for transformative applications in regenerative biomedicine and the engineering of highly fault-tolerant cybernetic systems. Molecular biologists are working to identify the pathways underlying the remarkable regenerative abilities of model species that perfectly regenerate limbs, brains, and other complex body parts. However, a profound disconnect remains between the deluge of high-resolution genetic and protein data on pathways required for regeneration, and the desired spatial, algorithmic models that show how self-monitoring and growth control arise from the synthesis of cellular activities. This barrier to progress in the understanding of morphogenetic controls may be breached by powerful techniques from the computational sciences-using non-traditional modeling approaches to reverse-engineer systems such as planaria: flatworms with a complex bodyplan and nervous system that are able to regenerate any body part after traumatic injury. Currently, the involvement of experts from outside of molecular genetics is hampered by the specialist literature of molecular developmental biology: impactful collaborations across such different fields require that review literature be available that presents the key functional capabilities of important biological model systems while abstracting away from the often irrelevant and confusing details of specific genes and proteins. To facilitate modeling efforts by computer scientists, physicists, engineers, and mathematicians, we present a different kind of review of planarian regeneration. Focusing on the main patterning properties of this system, we review what is known about the signal exchanges that occur during regenerative repair in planaria and the cellular mechanisms that are thought to underlie them. By establishing an engineering-like style for reviews of the molecular developmental biology of biomedically important model systems, significant fresh insights and quantitative computational models will be developed by new collaborations between biology and the information sciences.

Identification of small non-coding RNAs in the planarian Dugesia japonica via deep sequencing

Freshwater planarian flatworm possesses an extraordinary ability to regenerate lost body parts after amputation; it is perfect organism model in regeneration and stem cell biology. Recently, small RNAs have been an increasing concern and studied in many aspects, including regeneration and stem cell biology, among others. In the current study, the large-scale cloning and sequencing of sRNAs from the intact and regenerative planarian Dugesia japonica are reported. Sequence analysis shows that sRNAs between 18nt and 40nt are mainly microRNAs and piRNAs. In addition, 209 conserved miRNAs and 12 novel miRNAs are identified. Especially, a better screening target method, negative-correlation relationship of miRNAs and mRNA, is adopted to improve target prediction accuracy. Similar to miRNAs, a diverse population of piRNAs and changes in the two samples are also listed. The present study is the first to report on the important role of sRNAs during planarian Dugesia japonica regeneration.

Mammalian cell dedifferentiation as a possible outcome of stress

Differentiation cascades are arranged hierarchically; stem cells positioned at the top of the hierarchy generate committed progenitors that, in turn, proliferate and further differentiate stepwise into mature progeny. This rigid, irreversible structure ensures the phenotypic stability of adult tissues. However, such rigidity may be problematic under conditions of tissue damage when reconstitution is required. Although it may seem unlikely that the restrictions on changes in cell phenotypes would be lifted to enable tissue reconstitution, it is nevertheless possible that mammalian tissues are endowed with sufficient flexibility to enable their adaptation to extreme conditions.

Cell dedifferentiation and epithelial to mesenchymal transitions during intestinal regeneration in H. glaberrima

BACKGROUND

Determining the type and source of cells involved in regenerative processes has been one of the most important goals of researchers in the field of regeneration biology. We have previously used several cellular markers to characterize the cells involved in the regeneration of the intestine in the sea cucumber Holothuria glaberrima.

RESULTS

We have now obtained a monoclonal antibody that labels the mesothelium; the outer layer of the gut wall composed of peritoneocytes and myocytes. Using this antibody we studied the role of this tissue layer in the early stages of intestinal regeneration. We have now shown that the mesothelial cells of the mesentery, specifically the muscle component, undergo dedifferentiation from very early on in the regeneration process. Cell proliferation, on the other hand, increases much later, and mainly takes place in the mesothelium or coelomic epithelium of the regenerating intestinal rudiment. Moreover, we have found that the formation of the intestinal rudiment involves a novel regenerative mechanism where epithelial cells ingress into the connective tissue and acquire mesenchymal phenotypes.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results strongly suggest that the dedifferentiating mesothelium provides the initial source of cells for the formation of the intestinal rudiment. At later stages, cell proliferation supplies additional cells necessary for the increase in size of the regenerate. Our data also shows that the mechanism of epithelial to mesenchymal transition provides many of the connective tissue cells found in the regenerating intestine. These results present some new and important information as to the cellular basis of organ regeneration and in particular to the process of regeneration of visceral organs.

The cellular basis for animal regeneration

The ability of animals to regenerate missing parts is a dramatic and poorly understood aspect of biology. The sources of new cells for these regenerative phenomena have been sought for decades. Recent advances involving cell fate tracking in complex tissues have shed new light on the cellular underpinnings of regeneration in Hydra, planarians, zebrafish, Xenopus, and Axolotl. Planarians accomplish regeneration with use of adult pluripotent stem cells, whereas several vertebrates utilize a collection of lineage-restricted progenitors from different tissues. Together, an array of cellular strategies-from pluripotent stem cells to tissue-specific stem cells and dedifferentiation-are utilized for regeneration.

Gut regeneration in holothurians: a snapshot of recent developments

Visceral regeneration in sea cucumbers has been studied since early last century; however, it is only within the last 15 years that real progress has been made in understanding the cellular and molecular events involved. In the present review, we bring together these recent studies, providing readers with basic information on the anatomy and histology of the normal gut and detailing the changes in tissue organization and gene expression that occur during the regenerative process. We discuss the nature and possible sources of cells involved in the formation of the intestinal regenerate as well as the role of cell death and proliferation in this process. In addition, we compare gut formation during regeneration and during embryogenesis. Finally, we describe the molecular studies that have helped advance regenerative studies in holothurians and integrate the gene expression information with data on cellular events. Studies on visceral regeneration in these echinoderms provide a unique view that complements regeneration studies in other animal phyla, which are mainly focused on whole-animal regeneration or appendage regeneration.

Constitutive gene expression and the specification of tissue identity in adult planarian biology

Planarians are flatworms that constitutively maintain adult tissues through cell turnover and can regenerate entire organisms from tiny body fragments. In addition to requiring new cells (from neoblasts), these feats require mechanisms that specify tissue identity in the adult. Crucial roles for Wnt and BMP signaling in the regeneration and maintenance of the body axes have been uncovered, among other regulatory factors. Available data indicate that genes involved in positional identity regulation at key embryonic stages in other animals display persisting regionalized expression in adult planarians. These expression patterns suggest that a constitutively active gene expression map exists for the maintenance of the planarian body. Planarians thus present a fertile ground for the identification of factors regulating the regionalization of the metazoan body plan and for the study of the attributes of these factors that can lead to the maintenance and regeneration of adult tissues.

Study of planarian stem cell proliferation by means of flow cytometry

The stem cells in freshwater flatworms (planarian) are called neoblasts. Neoblasts are capable of proliferation and differentiation into every cell type, including the gametes. For the investigation of the mechanisms of stem cells proliferation and differentiation the proper evaluation of changes in the cell cycle of neoblasts in different physiological conditions of planarian is necessary. In the present study the possibility of qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the neoblasts population were investigated using flow cytometry. In the cell suspension prepared from planarian tissue proliferating neoblasts have been observed in heterogenic cell population. Quantitative estimation of the cell cycle related changes of planarian stem cells system have been performed in various physiological conditions (intact and regenerating animals) and under the influence of physical (ionizing radiation) and chemical (melatonin and colchicine) factors. The modified protocol for planarian stem cells isolation proved to be effective and reproducible and can be recommended for flow cytometry analyses of human and animal proliferating cells.

A chemical genetics approach reveals H,K-ATPase-mediated membrane voltage is required for planarian head regeneration

Biophysical signaling is required for both embryonic polarity and regenerative outgrowth. Exploiting endogenous ion transport for regenerative therapies will require direct regulation of membrane voltage. Here, we develop a pharmacological method to target ion transporters, uncovering a role for membrane voltage as a key regulator of anterior polarity in regenerating planaria. Utilizing the highly specific inhibitor, SCH-28080, our data reveal that H(+),K(+)-ATPase-mediated membrane depolarization is essential for anterior gene expression and brain induction. H(+),K(+)-ATPase-independent manipulation of membrane potential with ivermectin confirms that depolarization drives head formation, even at posterior-facing wounds. Using this chemical genetics approach, we demonstrate that membrane voltage controls head-versus-tail identity during planarian regeneration. Our data suggest well-characterized drugs (already approved for human use) might be exploited to control adult stem cell-driven pattern formation during the regeneration of complex structures.

EGFR signaling regulates cell proliferation, differentiation and morphogenesis during planarian regeneration and homeostasis

Similarly to development, the process of regeneration requires that cells accurately sense and respond to their external environment. Thus, intrinsic cues must be integrated with signals from the surrounding environment to ensure appropriate temporal and spatial regulation of tissue regeneration. Identifying the signaling pathways that control these events will not only provide insights into a fascinating biological phenomenon but may also yield new molecular targets for use in regenerative medicine. Among classical models to study regeneration, freshwater planarians represent an attractive system in which to investigate the signals that regulate cell proliferation and differentiation, as well as the proper patterning of the structures being regenerated. Recent studies in planarians have begun to define the role of conserved signaling pathways during regeneration. Here, we extend these analyses to the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor pathway. We report the characterization of three epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptors in the planarian Schmidtea mediterranea. Silencing of these genes by RNA interference (RNAi) yielded multiple defects in intact and regenerating planarians. Smed-egfr-1(RNAi) resulted in decreased differentiation of eye pigment cells, abnormal pharynx regeneration and maintenance, and the development of dorsal outgrowths. In contrast, Smed-egfr-3(RNAi) animals produced smaller blastemas associated with abnormal differentiation of certain cell types. Our results suggest important roles for the EGFR signaling in controlling cell proliferation, differentiation and morphogenesis during planarian regeneration and homeostasis.

Cell plasticity in homeostasis and regeneration

Over the past decades, genetic analyses performed in vertebrate and invertebrate organisms deciphered numerous cellular and molecular mechanisms deployed during sexual development and identified genetic circuitries largely shared among bilaterians. In contrast, the functional analysis of the mechanisms that support regenerative processes in species randomly scattered among the animal kingdom, were limited by the lack of genetic tools. Consequently, unifying principles explaining how stress and injury can lead to the reactivation of a complete developmental program with restoration of original shape and function remained beyond reach of understanding. Recent data on cell plasticity suggest that beside the classical developmental approach, the analysis of homeostasis and asexual reproduction in adult organisms provides novel entry points to dissect the regenerative potential of a given species, a given organ or a given tissue. As a clue, both tissue homeostasis and regeneration dynamics rely on the availability of stem cells and/or on the plasticity of differentiated cells to replenish the missing structure. The freshwater Hydra polyp provides us with a unique model system to study the intricate relationships between the mechanisms that regulate the maintenance of homeostasis, even in extreme conditions (starvation and overfeeding) and the reactivation of developmental programs after bisection or during budding. Interestingly head regeneration in Hydra can follow several routes according to the level of amputation, suggesting that indeed the homeostatic background dramatically influences the route taken to bridge injury and regeneration.

A low percent ethanol method for immobilizing planarians

Planarians have recently become a popular model system for the study of adult stem cells, regeneration and polarity. The system is attractive for both undergraduate and graduate research labs, since planarian colonies are low cost and easy to maintain. Also in situ hybridization, immunofluorescence and RNA-interference (RNAi) gene knockdown techniques have been developed for planarian studies. However, imaging of live worms (particularly at high magnifications) is difficult because animals are strongly photophobic; they quickly move away from light sources and out of frame. The current methods available to inhibit movement in planarians include RNAi injection and exposure to cold temperatures. The former is labor and time intensive, while the latter precludes the use of many fluorescent reporter dyes. Here, we report a simple, inexpensive and reversible method to immobilize planarians for live imaging. Our data show that a short 1 hour treatment with 3% ethanol (EtOH) is sufficient to inhibit both the fine and gross movements of Schmidtea mediterranea planarians, of the typical size used (4–6 mm), with full recovery of movement within 3–4 hours. Importantly, EtOH treatment did not interfere with regeneration, even after repeated exposure, nor lyse epithelial cells (as assayed by H&E staining). We demonstrate that a short exposure to a low concentration of EtOH is a quick and effective method of immobilizing planarians, one that is easily adaptable to planarians of all sizes and will increase the accessibility of live imaging assays to planarian researchers.

The Hydra model: disclosing an apoptosis-driven generator of Wnt-based regeneration

The Hydra model system is well suited for the eludication of the mechanisms underlying regeneration in the adult, and an understanding of the core mechanisms is likely to cast light on pathways conserved in other species. Recent detailed analyses of the activation of the Wnt-beta-catenin pathway in bisected Hydra shows that the route taken to regenerate a structure as complex as the head varies dramatically according to the level of the amputation. When decapitation induces direct re-development due to Wnt3 signaling from epithelial cells, head regeneration after mid-gastric section relies first on Wnt3 signaling from interstitial cells, that undergo apoptosis-induced compensatory proliferation, and subsequently on activation of Wnt3 signaling in the epithelial cells. The relative distribution between stem cells and head progenitor cells is strikingly different in these two contexts, indicating that the pre-amputation homeostatic conditions define and constrain the route that bridges wound-healing to the re-development program of the missing structure.

Smed-SmB, a member of the LSm protein superfamily, is essential for chromatoid body organization and planarian stem cell proliferation

Planarians are an ideal model system to study in vivo the dynamics of adult pluripotent stem cells. However, our knowledge of the factors necessary for regulating the 'stemness' of the neoblasts, the adult stem cells of planarians, is sparse. Here, we report on the characterization of the first planarian member of the LSm protein superfamily, Smed-SmB, which is expressed in stem cells and neurons in Schmidtea mediterranea. LSm proteins are highly conserved key players of the splicing machinery. Our study shows that Smed-SmB protein, which is localized in the nucleus and the chromatoid body of stem cells, is required to safeguard the proliferative ability of the neoblasts. The chromatoid body, a cytoplasmatic ribonucleoprotein complex, is an essential regulator of the RNA metabolism required for the maintenance of metazoan germ cells. However, planarian neoblasts and neurons also rely on its functions. Remarkably, Smed-SmB dsRNA-mediated knockdown results in a rapid loss of organization of the chromatoid body, an impairment of the ability to post-transcriptionally process the transcripts of Smed-CycB, and a severe proliferative failure of the neoblasts. This chain of events leads to a quick depletion of the neoblast pool, resulting in a lethal phenotype for both regenerating and intact animals. In summary, our results suggest that Smed-SmB is an essential component of the chromatoid body, crucial to ensure a proper RNA metabolism and essential for stem cell proliferation.

Germ layer specification and axial patterning in the embryonic development of the freshwater planarian Schmidtea polychroa

Although patterning during regeneration in adult planarians has been studied extensively, very little is known about how the initial planarian body plan arises during embryogenesis. Herein, we analyze the process of embryo patterning in the species Schmidtea polychroa by comparing the expression of genes involved in the establishment of the metazoan body plan. Planarians present a derived ectolecithic spiralian development characterized by dispersed cleavage within a yolk syncytium and an early transient embryo capable of feeding on the maternally supplied yolk cells. During this stage of development, we only found evidence of canonical Wnt pathway, mostly associated with the development of its transient pharynx. At these stages, genes involved in gastrulation (snail) and germ layer determination (foxA and twist) are specifically expressed in migrating blastomeres and those giving rise to the temporary gut and pharyngeal muscle. After yolk ingestion, the embryo expresses core components of the canonical Wnt pathway and the BMP pathway, suggesting that the definitive axial identities are established late. These data support the division of planarian development into two separate morphogenetic stages: a highly divergent gastrulation stage, which segregates the three germ layers and establishes the primary organization of the feeding embryo; and subsequent metamorphosis, based on totipotent blastomeres, which establishes the definitive adult body plan using mechanisms that are similar to those used during regeneration and homeostasis in the adult.

Electron microscopy of flatworms standard and cryo-preparation methods

Electron microscopy (EM) has long been indispensable for flatworm research, as most of these worms are microscopic in dimension and provide only a handful of characters recognizable by eye or light microscopy. Therefore, major progress in understanding the histology, systematics, and evolution of this animal group relied on methods capable of visualizing ultrastructure. The rise of molecular and cellular biology renewed interest in such ultrastructural research. In the light of recent developments, we offer a best-practice guide for users of transmission EM and provide a comparison of well-established chemical fixation protocols with cryo-processing methods (high-pressure freezing/freeze-substitution, HPF/FS). The organisms used in this study include the rhabditophorans Macrostomum lignano, Polycelis nigra and Dugesia gonocephala, as well as the acoel species Isodiametra pulchra.

Echinococcus multilocularis as an experimental model in stem cell research and molecular host-parasite interaction

Totipotent somatic stem cells (neoblasts) are key players in the biology of flatworms and account for their amazing regenerative capability and developmental plasticity. During recent years, considerable progress has been made in elucidating molecular features of neoblasts from free-living flatworms, whereas their role in parasitic species has so far merely been addressed by descriptive studies. Very recently, however, significant advances have been made in the in vitro culture of neoblasts from the cestode Echinococcus multilocularis. The isolated cells proved capable of generating mature metacestode vesicles under laboratory conditions in a manner that closely resembles the oncosphere-metacestode transition during natural infections. Using the established neoblast cultivation protocols, combined with targeted manipulation of Echinococcus genes by RNA-interference, several fundamental questions of host-dependent parasite development can now be addressed. Here, I give an overview of current cultivation techniques for E. multilocularis neoblasts and present experimental approaches to study their function. Furthermore, I introduce the E. multilocularis genome sequencing project that is presently in an advanced stage. The combined input of data from the E. multilocularis sequencing project, stem cell cultivation, and recently initiated attempts to genetically manipulate Echinococcus will provide an ideal platform for hypothesis-driven research into cestode development in the next years.

Emerging patterns in planarian regeneration

In the past decade, the planarian has become an increasingly tractable invertebrate model for the investigation of regeneration and stem cell biology. Application of a variety of techniques and development of genomic reagents in this system have enabled exploration of the molecular mechanisms by which pluripotent somatic stem cells called neoblasts replenish, repair, and regenerate planarian tissues and organs. Recent investigations have implicated evolutionarily conserved signaling pathways in the re-establishment of anterior-posterior (A-P), dorsal-ventral (D-V), and medial-lateral (M-L) polarity after injury. These studies have significantly advanced our understanding of early events during planarian regeneration and have raised new questions about the mechanisms of stem cell-based tissue repair and renewal.