1
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Girich AS. WntA and Wnt4 during the regeneration of internal organs in the holothurian Eupentacta fraudatrix. Genesis 2024; 62:e23562. [PMID: 37846177 DOI: 10.1002/dvg.23562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Over the past few years, it has been established that wnt genes are involved in the regenerative processes of holothurians. The wnt4 gene was identified as one of the most active genes in Eupentacta fraudatrix regeneration using differential gene expression analysis and qPCR of individual genes. Also, the wntA gene was found in holothurians, which is present only in invertebrates and can perform unique functions. RESULTS In this regard, both these genes and proteins were studied in this work. During regeneration, the Wnt4 protein is found in the cells of the coelomic and ambulacral epithelium, retractor muscles, and radial nerves. Single cells with this protein are also found in the connective tissue of the developing aquapharyngeal bulb and in the hypoderm of the body wall. Cells with WntA are found exclusively in the hypoderm of the body wall. CONCLUSION We assume that both genes are involved in regeneration, but Wnt4 coordinates the formation of the epithelial tissue structure, while WntA maintains the state of the intercellular substance of the body wall.
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Affiliation(s)
- A S Girich
- A.V. Zhirmunsky National Scientific Center of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok, Russia
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2
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Jones S, Matos B, Dennison S, Fardilha M, Howl J. Stem Cell Bioengineering with Bioportides: Inhibition of Planarian Head Regeneration with Peptide Mimetics of Eyes Absent Proteins. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:2018. [PMID: 37631231 PMCID: PMC10458859 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15082018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Djeya1 (RKLAFRYRRIKELYNSYR) is a very effective cell penetrating peptide (CPP) that mimics the α5 helix of the highly conserved Eya domain (ED) of eyes absent (Eya) proteins. The objective of this study was to bioengineer analogues of Djeya1 that, following effective translocation into planarian tissues, would reduce the ability of neoblasts (totipotent stem cells) and their progeny to regenerate the anterior pole in decapitated S. mediterranea. As a strategy to increase the propensity for helix formation, molecular bioengineering of Djeya1 was achieved by the mono-substitution of the helicogenic aminoisobutyric acid (Aib) at three species-variable sites: 10, 13, and 16. CD analyses indicated that Djeya1 is highly helical, and that Aib-substitution had subtle influences upon the secondary structures of bioengineered analogues. Aib-substituted Djeya1 analogues are highly efficient CPPs, devoid of influence upon cell viability or proliferation. All three peptides increase the migration of PC-3 cells, a prostate cancer line that expresses high concentrations of Eya. Two peptides, [Aib13]Djeya1 and [Aib16]Djeya1, are bioportides which delay planarian head regeneration. As neoblasts are the only cell population capable of division in planaria, these data indicate that bioportide technologies could be utilised to directly manipulate other stem cells in situ, thus negating any requirement for genetic manipulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Jones
- Research Institute in Healthcare Science, Faculty of Science & Engineering, University of Wolverhampton, Wulfruna Street, Wolverhampton WV1 1LY, UK;
| | - Bárbara Matos
- Laboratory of Signal Transduction, Department of Medical Sciences, Institute of Biomedicine—iBiMED, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal; (B.M.); (M.F.)
| | - Sarah Dennison
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, UK;
| | - Margarida Fardilha
- Laboratory of Signal Transduction, Department of Medical Sciences, Institute of Biomedicine—iBiMED, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal; (B.M.); (M.F.)
| | - John Howl
- Research Institute in Healthcare Science, Faculty of Science & Engineering, University of Wolverhampton, Wulfruna Street, Wolverhampton WV1 1LY, UK;
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3
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Cervera J, Manzanares JA, Levin M, Mafe S. Transplantation of fragments from different planaria: A bioelectrical model for head regeneration. J Theor Biol 2023; 558:111356. [PMID: 36403806 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2022.111356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 10/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Head-tail planaria morphologies are influenced by the electric potential differences across the animal's primary axis, as evidenced e.g. by voltage-sensitive dyes and functional experiments that create permanent lines of 2-headed but genetically wild-type animals. However, bioelectrical and biochemical models that make predictions on what would happen in the case of spatial chimeras made by tissue transplantation from different planaria (different species and head shapes) are lacking. Here, we use a bioelectrical model to qualitatively describe the effects of tissue transplantation on the shape of the regenerated head. To this end, we assume that the cells may have distinct sets of ion channels and ascribe the system outcome to the axial distributions of average cell potentials over morphologically relevant regions. Our rationale is that the distributions of signaling ions and molecules are spatially coupled with multicellular electric potentials. Thus, long-time downstream transcriptional events should be triggered by short-time bioelectrical processes. We show that relatively small differences between the ion channel characteristics of the cells could eventually give noticeable changes in the electric potential profiles and the expected morphological deviations, which suggests that small but timely bioelectrical actions may have significant morphological effects. Our approach is based on the observed relationships between bioelectrical regionalization and biochemical gradients in body-plan studies. Such models are relevant to regenerative, developmental, and cancer biology in which cells with distinct properties and morphogenetic target states confront each other in the same tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Cervera
- Dept. Termodinàmica, Facultat de Física, Universitat de València, E-46100 Burjassot, Spain.
| | - José A Manzanares
- Dept. Termodinàmica, Facultat de Física, Universitat de València, E-46100 Burjassot, Spain
| | - Michael Levin
- Dept. of Biology and Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155-4243, USA; Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, USA
| | - Salvador Mafe
- Dept. Termodinàmica, Facultat de Física, Universitat de València, E-46100 Burjassot, Spain
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4
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Ozernyuk ND, Isaeva VV. Early Stages of Animal Mesoderm Evolution. Russ J Dev Biol 2022. [DOI: 10.1134/s1062360422020096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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5
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Paul S, Balakrishnan S, Arumugaperumal A, Lathakumari S, Syamala SS, Vijayan V, Durairaj SCJ, Arumugaswami V, Sivasubramaniam S. Importance of clitellar tissue in the regeneration ability of earthworm Eudrilus eugeniae. Funct Integr Genomics 2022; 22:1-32. [PMID: 35416560 DOI: 10.1007/s10142-022-00849-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Revised: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Among the annelids, earthworms are renowned for their phenomenal ability to regenerate the lost segments. The adult earthworm Eudrilus eugeniae contains 120 segments and the body segments of the earthworm are divided into pre-clitellar, clitellar and post-clitellar segments. The present study denoted that clitellum plays vital role in the successful regeneration of the species. We have performed histological studies to identify among the three skin layers of the earthworm, which cellular layer supports the blastema formation and regeneration of the species. The histological evidences denoted that the proliferation of the longitudinal cell layer at the amputation site is crucial for the successful regeneration of the earthworm and it takes place only in the presence of an intact clitellum. Besides we have performed clitellar transcriptome analysis of the earthworm Eudrilus eugeniae to monitor the key differentially expressed genes and their associated functions and pathways controlling the clitellar tissue changes during both anterior and posterior regeneration of the earthworm. A total of 4707 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between the control clitellum and clitellum of anterior regenerated earthworms and 4343 DEGs were detected between the control clitellum and clitellum of posterior regenerated earthworms. The functional enrichment analysis confirmed the genes regulating the muscle mass shape and structure were significantly downregulated and the genes associated with response to starvation and anterior-posterior axis specification were significantly upregulated in the clitellar tissue during both anterior and posterior regeneration of the earthworm. The RNA sequencing data of clitellum and the comparative transcriptomic analysis were helpful to understand the complex regeneration process of the earthworm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sayan Paul
- Department of Biotechnology, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli, Tamilnadu, 627012, India.,Centre for Cardiovascular Biology and Disease, Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine (inStem), Bangalore, 560065, India
| | | | - Arun Arumugaperumal
- Department of Biotechnology, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli, Tamilnadu, 627012, India
| | - Saranya Lathakumari
- Department of Biotechnology, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli, Tamilnadu, 627012, India
| | - Sandhya Soman Syamala
- Department of Biotechnology, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli, Tamilnadu, 627012, India
| | - Vijithkumar Vijayan
- Department of Biotechnology, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli, Tamilnadu, 627012, India
| | - Selvan Christyraj Jackson Durairaj
- Department of Biotechnology, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli, Tamilnadu, 627012, India.,Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, Tamilnadu, 600 119, India
| | | | - Sudhakar Sivasubramaniam
- Department of Biotechnology, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli, Tamilnadu, 627012, India.
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Grodstein J, Levin M. A Computational Approach to Explaining Bioelectrically Induced Persistent, Stochastic Changes of Axial Polarity in Planarian Regeneration. Bioelectricity 2022. [DOI: 10.1089/bioe.2021.0036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Joel Grodstein
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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7
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Transcription Factors Active in the Anterior Blastema of Schmidtea mediterranea. Biomolecules 2021; 11:biom11121782. [PMID: 34944426 PMCID: PMC8698962 DOI: 10.3390/biom11121782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Revised: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Regeneration, the restoration of body parts after injury, is quite widespread in the animal kingdom. Species from virtually all Phyla possess regenerative abilities. Human beings, however, are poor regenerators. Yet, the progress of knowledge and technology in the fields of bioengineering, stem cells, and regenerative biology have fostered major advancements in regenerative medical treatments, which aim to regenerate tissues and organs and restore function. Human induced pluripotent stem cells can differentiate into any cell type of the body; however, the structural and cellular complexity of the human tissues, together with the inability of our adult body to control pluripotency, require a better mechanistic understanding. Planarians, with their capacity to regenerate lost body parts thanks to the presence of adult pluripotent stem cells could help providing such an understanding. In this paper, we used a top-down approach to shortlist blastema transcription factors (TFs) active during anterior regeneration. We found 44 TFs—31 of which are novel in planarian—that are expressed in the regenerating blastema. We analyzed the function of half of them and found that they play a role in the regeneration of anterior structures, like the anterior organizer, the positional instruction muscle cells, the brain, the photoreceptor, the intestine. Our findings revealed a glimpse of the complexity of the transcriptional network governing anterior regeneration in planarians, confirming that this animal model is the perfect playground to study in vivo how pluripotency copes with adulthood.
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8
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Grodstein J, Levin M. Stability and robustness properties of bioelectric networks: A computational approach. BIOPHYSICS REVIEWS 2021; 2:031305. [PMID: 38505634 PMCID: PMC10903393 DOI: 10.1063/5.0062442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
Morphogenesis during development and regeneration requires cells to communicate and cooperate toward the construction of complex anatomical structures. One important set of mechanisms for coordinating growth and form occurs via developmental bioelectricity-the dynamics of cellular networks driving changes of resting membrane potential which interface with transcriptional and biomechanical downstream cascades. While many molecular details have been elucidated about the instructive processes mediated by ion channel-dependent signaling outside of the nervous system, future advances in regenerative medicine and bioengineering require the understanding of tissue, organ, or whole body-level properties. A key aspect of bioelectric networks is their robustness, which can drive correct, invariant patterning cues despite changing cell number and anatomical configuration of the underlying tissue network. Here, we computationally analyze the minimal models of bioelectric networks and use the example of the regenerating planarian flatworm, to reveal important system-level aspects of bioelectrically derived patterns. These analyses promote an understanding of the robustness of circuits controlling regeneration and suggest design properties that can be exploited for synthetic bioengineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel Grodstein
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, USA
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9
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Cervera J, Levin M, Mafe S. Morphology changes induced by intercellular gap junction blocking: A reaction-diffusion mechanism. Biosystems 2021; 209:104511. [PMID: 34411690 DOI: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2021.104511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/14/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Complex anatomical form is regulated in part by endogenous physiological communication between cells; however, the dynamics by which gap junctional (GJ) states across tissues regulate morphology are still poorly understood. We employed a biophysical modeling approach combining different signaling molecules (morphogens) to qualitatively describe the anteroposterior and lateral morphology changes in model multicellular systems due to intercellular GJ blockade. The model is based on two assumptions for blocking-induced patterning: (i) the local concentrations of two small antagonistic morphogens diffusing through the GJs along the axial direction, together with that of an independent, uncoupled morphogen concentration along an orthogonal direction, constitute the instructive patterns that modulate the morphological outcomes, and (ii) the addition of an external agent partially blocks the intercellular GJs between neighboring cells and modifies thus the establishment of these patterns. As an illustrative example, we study how the different connectivity and morphogen patterns obtained in presence of a GJ blocker can give rise to novel head morphologies in regenerating planaria. We note that the ability of GJs to regulate the permeability of morphogens post-translationally suggests a mechanism by which different anatomies can be produced from the same genome without the modification of gene-regulatory networks. Conceptually, our model biosystem constitutes a reaction-diffusion information processing mechanism that allows reprogramming of biological morphologies through the external manipulation of the intercellular GJs and the resulting changes in instructive biochemical signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Cervera
- Dept. Termodinàmica, Facultat de Física, Universitat de València, E-46100, Burjassot, Spain.
| | - Michael Levin
- Dept. of Biology and Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA, 02155-4243, USA
| | - Salvador Mafe
- Dept. Termodinàmica, Facultat de Física, Universitat de València, E-46100, Burjassot, Spain
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10
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Scheel A, Stevens A, Tenbrock C. Signaling gradients in surface dynamics as basis for planarian regeneration. J Math Biol 2021; 83:6. [PMID: 34173885 DOI: 10.1007/s00285-021-01627-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2019] [Revised: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/13/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Based on experimental data, we introduce and analyze a system of reaction-diffusion equations for the regeneration of planarian flatworms. We model dynamics of head and tail cells expressing positional control genes that translate into localized signals which in turn guide stem cell differentiation. Tissue orientation and positional information are encoded in a long range wnt-related signaling gradient. Our system correctly reproduces typical cut and graft experiments, and improves on previous models by preserving polarity in regeneration over orders of magnitude in body size during growth phases. Key to polarity preservation in our model flatworm is the sensitivity of cell differentiation to gradients of wnt-related signals relative to the tissue surface. This process is particularly relevant in small tissue layers close to cuts during their healing, and modeled in a robust fashion through dynamic boundary conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnd Scheel
- School of Mathematics, University of Minnesota, 206 Church St. S.E., Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.
| | - Angela Stevens
- Applied Mathematics, University of Münster (WWU), Einsteinstr. 62, D-48149, Münster, Germany
| | - Christoph Tenbrock
- Applied Mathematics, University of Münster (WWU), Einsteinstr. 62, D-48149, Münster, Germany
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11
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Cazet JF, Cho A, Juliano CE. Generic injuries are sufficient to induce ectopic Wnt organizers in Hydra. eLife 2021; 10:60562. [PMID: 33779545 PMCID: PMC8049744 DOI: 10.7554/elife.60562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 03/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
During whole-body regeneration, a bisection injury can trigger two different types of regeneration. To understand the transcriptional regulation underlying this adaptive response, we characterized transcript abundance and chromatin accessibility during oral and aboral regeneration in the cnidarian Hydra vulgaris. We found that the initial response to amputation at both wound sites is identical and includes widespread apoptosis and the activation of the oral-specifying Wnt signaling pathway. By 8 hr post amputation, Wnt signaling became restricted to oral regeneration. Wnt pathway genes were also upregulated in puncture wounds, and these wounds induced the formation of ectopic oral structures if pre-existing organizers were simultaneously amputated. Our work suggests that oral patterning is activated as part of a generic injury response in Hydra, and that alternative injury outcomes are dependent on signals from the surrounding tissue. Furthermore, Wnt signaling is likely part of a conserved wound response predating the split of cnidarians and bilaterians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack F Cazet
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, United States
| | - Adrienne Cho
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, United States
| | - Celina E Juliano
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, United States
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12
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Cao Z, Rosenkranz D, Wu S, Liu H, Pang Q, Zhang X, Liu B, Zhao B. Different classes of small RNAs are essential for head regeneration in the planarian Dugesia japonica. BMC Genomics 2020; 21:876. [PMID: 33287698 PMCID: PMC7722302 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-020-07234-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Planarians reliably regenerate all body parts after injury, including a fully functional head and central nervous system. But until now, the expression dynamics and functional role of miRNAs and other small RNAs during the process of head regeneration are not well understood. Furthermore, little is known about the evolutionary conservation of the relevant small RNAs pathways, rendering it difficult to assess whether insights from planarians will apply to other taxa. RESULTS In this study, we applied high throughput sequencing to identify miRNAs, tRNA fragments and piRNAs that are dynamically expressed during head regeneration in Dugesia japonica. We further show that knockdown of selected small RNAs, including three novel Dugesia-specific miRNAs, during head regeneration induces severe defects including abnormally small-sized eyes, cyclopia and complete absence of eyes. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that a complex pool of small RNAs takes part in the process of head regeneration in Dugesia japonica and provide novel insights into global small RNA expression profiles and expression changes in response to head amputation. Our study reveals the evolutionary conserved role of miR-124 and brings further promising candidate small RNAs into play that might unveil new avenues for inducing restorative programs in non-regenerative organisms via small RNA mimics based therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhonghong Cao
- grid.412509.b0000 0004 1808 3414School of Life Sciences, Shandong University of Technology, 266 Xincun Western Road, Zibo, 255049 People’s Republic of China
| | - David Rosenkranz
- grid.5802.f0000 0001 1941 7111Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iOME), Anthropology, Anselm-Franz-von-Bentzel-Weg 7, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - Suge Wu
- grid.412509.b0000 0004 1808 3414School of Life Sciences, Shandong University of Technology, 266 Xincun Western Road, Zibo, 255049 People’s Republic of China
| | - Hongjin Liu
- grid.412509.b0000 0004 1808 3414School of Life Sciences, Shandong University of Technology, 266 Xincun Western Road, Zibo, 255049 People’s Republic of China
| | - Qiuxiang Pang
- grid.412509.b0000 0004 1808 3414School of Life Sciences, Shandong University of Technology, 266 Xincun Western Road, Zibo, 255049 People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiufang Zhang
- grid.412509.b0000 0004 1808 3414School of Life Sciences, Shandong University of Technology, 266 Xincun Western Road, Zibo, 255049 People’s Republic of China
| | - Baohua Liu
- grid.412509.b0000 0004 1808 3414School of Life Sciences, Shandong University of Technology, 266 Xincun Western Road, Zibo, 255049 People’s Republic of China
| | - Bosheng Zhao
- grid.412509.b0000 0004 1808 3414School of Life Sciences, Shandong University of Technology, 266 Xincun Western Road, Zibo, 255049 People’s Republic of China
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13
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Williams KB, Bischof J, Lee FJ, Miller KA, LaPalme JV, Wolfe BE, Levin M. Regulation of axial and head patterning during planarian regeneration by a commensal bacterium. Mech Dev 2020; 163:103614. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mod.2020.103614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2020] [Accepted: 05/06/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
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14
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Cervera J, Meseguer S, Levin M, Mafe S. Bioelectrical model of head-tail patterning based on cell ion channels and intercellular gap junctions. Bioelectrochemistry 2020; 132:107410. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bioelechem.2019.107410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2019] [Revised: 10/16/2019] [Accepted: 10/16/2019] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
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15
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Abstract
One of the most important aspects of the scientific endeavour is the definition of specific concepts as precisely as possible. However, it is also important not to lose sight of two facts: (i) we divide the study of nature into manageable parts in order to better understand it owing to our limited cognitive capacities and (ii) definitions are inherently arbitrary and heavily influenced by cultural norms, language, the current political climate, and even personal preferences, among many other factors. As a consequence of these facts, clear-cut definitions, despite their evident importance, are oftentimes quite difficult to formulate. One of the most illustrative examples about the difficulty of articulating precise scientific definitions is trying to define the concept of a brain. Even though the current thinking about the brain is beginning to take into account a variety of organisms, a vertebrocentric bias still tends to dominate the scientific discourse about this concept. Here I will briefly explore the evolution of our 'thoughts about the brain', highlighting the difficulty of constructing a universally (or even a generally) accepted formal definition of it and using planarians as one of the earliest examples of organisms proposed to possess a 'traditional', vertebrate-style brain. I also suggest that the time is right to attempt to expand our view of what a brain is, going beyond exclusively structural and taxa-specific criteria. Thus, I propose a classification that could represent a starting point in an effort to expand our current definitions of the brain, hopefully to help initiate conversations leading to changes of perspective on how we think about this concept. This article is part of the theme issue 'Liquid brains, solid brains: How distributed cognitive architectures process information'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oné R Pagán
- Department of Biology, West Chester University , West Chester, PA 19383 , USA
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16
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Fields C, Levin M. Does regeneration recapitulate phylogeny? Planaria as a model of body-axis specification in ancestral eumetazoa. Commun Integr Biol 2020; 13:27-38. [PMID: 32128026 PMCID: PMC7039665 DOI: 10.1080/19420889.2020.1729601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Revised: 02/07/2020] [Accepted: 02/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Metazoan body plans combine well-defined primary, secondary, and in many bilaterians, tertiary body axes with structural asymmetries at multiple scales. Despite decades of study, how axis-defining symmetries and system-defining asymmetries co-emerge during both evolution and development remain open questions. Regeneration studies in asexual planaria have demonstrated an array of viable forms with symmetrized and, in some cases, duplicated body axes. We suggest that such forms may point toward an ancestral eumetazoan form with characteristics of both cnidarians and placazoa.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
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17
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Emmons-Bell M, Durant F, Tung A, Pietak A, Miller K, Kane A, Martyniuk CJ, Davidian D, Morokuma J, Levin M. Regenerative Adaptation to Electrochemical Perturbation in Planaria: A Molecular Analysis of Physiological Plasticity. iScience 2019; 22:147-165. [PMID: 31765995 PMCID: PMC6881696 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2019.11.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2019] [Revised: 10/01/2019] [Accepted: 11/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Anatomical homeostasis results from dynamic interactions between gene expression, physiology, and the external environment. Owing to its complexity, this cellular and organism-level phenotypic plasticity is still poorly understood. We establish planarian regeneration as a model for acquired tolerance to environments that alter endogenous physiology. Exposure to barium chloride (BaCl2) results in a rapid degeneration of anterior tissue in Dugesia japonica. Remarkably, continued exposure to fresh solution of BaCl2 results in regeneration of heads that are insensitive to BaCl2. RNA-seq revealed transcriptional changes in BaCl2-adapted heads that suggests a model of adaptation to excitotoxicity. Loss-of-function experiments confirmed several predictions: blockage of chloride and calcium channels allowed heads to survive initial BaCl2 exposure, inducing adaptation without prior exposure, whereas blockade of TRPM channels reversed adaptation. Such highly adaptive plasticity may represent an attractive target for biomedical strategies in a wide range of applications beyond its immediate relevance to excitotoxicity preconditioning. Exposure to BaCl2 causes the heads of Dugesia japonica to degenerate Prolonged exposure to BaCl2 results in regeneration of a BaCl2-insensitive head Ion channel expression is altered in the head to compensate for excitotoxic stress TRPMa is upregulated in BaCl2-treated animals; blocking TRPM prevents adaptation
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Affiliation(s)
- Maya Emmons-Bell
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA; Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Fallon Durant
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA; Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Angela Tung
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA; Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Alexis Pietak
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Kelsie Miller
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Anna Kane
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Christopher J Martyniuk
- Department of Physiological Sciences and Center for Environmental and Human Toxicology, University of Florida Genetics Institute, Interdisciplinary Program in Biomedical Sciences Neuroscience, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Devon Davidian
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA; Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Junji Morokuma
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA; Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA; Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA.
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18
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Miller WB, Torday JS, Baluška F. The N-space Episenome unifies cellular information space-time within cognition-based evolution. PROGRESS IN BIOPHYSICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2019; 150:112-139. [PMID: 31415772 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2019.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2019] [Revised: 07/26/2019] [Accepted: 08/09/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Self-referential cellular homeostasis is maintained by the measured assessment of both internal status and external conditions based within an integrated cellular information field. This cellular field attachment to biologic information space-time coordinates environmental inputs by connecting the cellular senome, as the sum of the sensory experiences of the cell, with its genome and epigenome. In multicellular organisms, individual cellular information fields aggregate into a collective information architectural matrix, termed a N-space Episenome, that enables mutualized organism-wide information management. It is hypothesized that biological organization represents a dual heritable system constituted by both its biological materiality and a conjoining N-space Episenome. It is further proposed that morphogenesis derives from reciprocations between these inter-related facets to yield coordinated multicellular growth and development. The N-space Episenome is conceived as a whole cell informational projection that is heritable, transferable via cell division and essential for the synchronous integration of the diverse self-referential cells that constitute holobionts.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - John S Torday
- Department of Pediatrics, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, USA.
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19
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Fu Y, Liu L, Wang C, Zhu F, Liu X. Suppression of limb regeneration by RNA interference of WNT4 in the swimming crab Portunus trituberculatus. Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol 2019; 234:41-49. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpb.2019.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2018] [Revised: 03/29/2019] [Accepted: 05/01/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
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20
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Li DJ, McMann CL, Reddien PW. Nuclear receptor NR4A is required for patterning at the ends of the planarian anterior-posterior axis. eLife 2019; 8:42015. [PMID: 31025936 PMCID: PMC6534381 DOI: 10.7554/elife.42015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2018] [Accepted: 04/25/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Positional information is fundamental to animal regeneration and tissue turnover. In planarians, muscle cells express signaling molecules to promote positional identity. At the ends of the anterior-posterior (AP) axis, positional identity is determined by anterior and posterior poles, which are putative organizers. We identified a gene, nr4A, that is required for anterior- and posterior-pole localization to axis extremes. nr4A encodes a nuclear receptor expressed predominantly in planarian muscle, including strongly at AP-axis ends and the poles. nr4A RNAi causes patterning gene expression domains to retract from head and tail tips, and ectopic anterior and posterior anatomy (e.g., eyes) to iteratively appear more internally. Our study reveals a novel patterning phenotype, in which pattern-organizing cells (poles) shift from their normal locations (axis extremes), triggering abnormal tissue pattern that fails to reach equilibrium. We propose that nr4A promotes pattern at planarian AP axis ends through restriction of patterning gene expression domains. Many animals are able to regenerate tissue that has been lost through illness or injury. Flatworms called planarians have long been used to study tissue regeneration because of their remarkable ability to completely regenerate their whole body from small pieces of tissue. Furthermore, the stem cells of adult planarians continually produce new cells to replace dying cells in a process called tissue turnover. For regeneration and tissue turnover to be successful, it is important for the new cells to form in the right location in the body; for example, new eye cells need to form in the head. Genes known as position control genes are active in muscle at specific locations along the body of a flatworm to regulate both regeneration and tissue turnover. However, it was not clear how these genes coordinate with stem cells to produce new cells in the correct positions in the body. Li et al. examined the effects of a gene known as nr4A that is particularly active in muscle at the head and tail ends of planarians. Using a technique called RNA interference to decrease the activity of nr4A in planarians disrupted the patterns of tissues at each end of the flatworms. Over time, the activity of the position control genes also became restricted to locations progressively farther away from the head and tail. As a result, cells that were intended to replace tissues in the head or tail were deposited increasingly far away from these locations. For example, new eyes formed repeatedly in the planarians, with each set farther away from the head tip than the last. Li et al. propose that these disruptions of normal tissue patterning ensue because the cells that organize such patterns at the ends of the planarian (the poles) are themselves misplaced within the existing body pattern. The nr4A gene can be found in a wide range of animal species. Understanding how this gene affects tissue patterns in planarians could therefore also help researchers to discover how adult tissue patterns form and are maintained in animals more generally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dayan J Li
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, United States.,Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, United States.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, United States.,Harvard/MIT MD-PhD Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
| | - Conor L McMann
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, United States.,Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, United States.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, United States
| | - Peter W Reddien
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, United States.,Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, United States.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, United States
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21
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Pietak A, Bischof J, LaPalme J, Morokuma J, Levin M. Neural control of body-plan axis in regenerating planaria. PLoS Comput Biol 2019; 15:e1006904. [PMID: 30990801 PMCID: PMC6485777 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2018] [Revised: 04/26/2019] [Accepted: 02/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Control of axial polarity during regeneration is a crucial open question. We developed a quantitative model of regenerating planaria, which elucidates self-assembly mechanisms of morphogen gradients required for robust body-plan control. The computational model has been developed to predict the fraction of heteromorphoses expected in a population of regenerating planaria fragments subjected to different treatments, and for fragments originating from different regions along the anterior-posterior and medio-lateral axis. This allows for a direct comparison between computational and experimental regeneration outcomes. Vector transport of morphogens was identified as a fundamental requirement to account for virtually scale-free self-assembly of the morphogen gradients observed in planarian homeostasis and regeneration. The model correctly describes altered body-plans following many known experimental manipulations, and accurately predicts outcomes of novel cutting scenarios, which we tested. We show that the vector transport field coincides with the alignment of nerve axons distributed throughout the planarian tissue, and demonstrate that the head-tail axis is controlled by the net polarity of neurons in a regenerating fragment. This model provides a comprehensive framework for mechanistically understanding fundamental aspects of body-plan regulation, and sheds new light on the role of the nervous system in directing growth and form.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexis Pietak
- Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Johanna Bischof
- Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Joshua LaPalme
- Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Junji Morokuma
- Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, United States of America
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22
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Levin M, Pietak AM, Bischof J. Planarian regeneration as a model of anatomical homeostasis: Recent progress in biophysical and computational approaches. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2019; 87:125-144. [PMID: 29635019 PMCID: PMC6234102 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2018.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2018] [Revised: 04/03/2018] [Accepted: 04/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Planarian behavior, physiology, and pattern control offer profound lessons for regenerative medicine, evolutionary biology, morphogenetic engineering, robotics, and unconventional computation. Despite recent advances in the molecular genetics of stem cell differentiation, this model organism's remarkable anatomical homeostasis provokes us with truly fundamental puzzles about the origin of large-scale shape and its relationship to the genome. In this review article, we first highlight several deep mysteries about planarian regeneration in the context of the current paradigm in this field. We then review recent progress in understanding of the physiological control of an endogenous, bioelectric pattern memory that guides regeneration, and how modulating this memory can permanently alter the flatworm's target morphology. Finally, we focus on computational approaches that complement reductive pathway analysis with synthetic, systems-level understanding of morphological decision-making. We analyze existing models of planarian pattern control and highlight recent successes and remaining knowledge gaps in this interdisciplinary frontier field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, United States; Biology Department, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, United States.
| | - Alexis M Pietak
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, United States
| | - Johanna Bischof
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, United States; Biology Department, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, United States
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23
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Sureda-Gomez M, Adell T. Planarian organizers. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2019; 87:95-104. [DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2018.05.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2018] [Revised: 05/09/2018] [Accepted: 05/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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24
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Jones S, Osman S, Howl J. The planarian Schmidtea mediterranea as a model system for the discovery and characterization of cell-penetrating peptides and bioportides. Chem Biol Drug Des 2019; 93:1036-1049. [PMID: 30790457 DOI: 10.1111/cbdd.13483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2018] [Revised: 12/13/2018] [Accepted: 12/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The general utility of the planarian Schmidtea mediterranea, an organism with remarkable regenerative capacity, was investigated as a convenient three-dimensional model to analyse the import of cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) and bioportides (bioactive CPPs) into complex tissues. The unpigmented planarian blastema, 3 days post head amputation, is a robust platform to assess the penetration of red-fluorescent CPPs into epithelial cells and deeper tissues. Three planarian proteins, Ovo, ZicA and Djeya, which collectively control head remodelling and eye regeneration following decapitation, are a convenient source of novel cationic CPP vectors. One example, Djeya1 (RKLAFRYRRIKELYNSYR), is a particularly efficient and seemingly inert CPP vector that could be further developed to assist the delivery of bioactive payloads across the plasma membrane of eukaryotic cells. Eye regeneration, following head amputation, was utilized in an effort to identify bioportides capable of influencing stem cell-dependent morphogenesis. These investigations identified the tetradecapeptide mastoparan (INLKALAALAKKIL) as a bioportide able to influence the gross morphology of head development. We conclude that, compared with cellular monolayers, the S. mediterranea system provides many advantages and will support the identification of bioportides able to selectively modify the biology of totipotent neoblasts and, presumably, other mammalian stem cell types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Jones
- Molecular Pharmacology Group, Research Institute in Healthcare Science, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, UK
| | - Shaimaa Osman
- Peptide Chemistry Department, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt
| | - John Howl
- Molecular Pharmacology Group, Research Institute in Healthcare Science, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, UK
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25
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Durant F, Bischof J, Fields C, Morokuma J, LaPalme J, Hoi A, Levin M. The Role of Early Bioelectric Signals in the Regeneration of Planarian Anterior/Posterior Polarity. Biophys J 2019; 116:948-961. [PMID: 30799071 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2019.01.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2018] [Revised: 01/11/2019] [Accepted: 01/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Axial patterning during planarian regeneration relies on a transcriptional circuit that confers distinct positional information on the two ends of an amputated fragment. The earliest known elements of this system begin demarcating differences between anterior and posterior wounds by 6 h postamputation. However, it is still unknown what upstream events break the axial symmetry, allowing a mutual repressor system to establish invariant, distinct biochemical states at the anterior and posterior ends. Here, we show that bioelectric signaling at 3 h is crucial for the formation of proper anterior-posterior polarity in planaria. Briefly manipulating the endogenous bioelectric state by depolarizing the injured tissue during the first 3 h of regeneration alters gene expression by 6 h postamputation and leads to a double-headed phenotype upon regeneration despite confirmed washout of ionophores from tissue. These data reveal a primary functional role for resting membrane potential taking place within the first 3 h after injury and kick-starting the downstream pattern of events that elaborate anatomy over the following 10 days. We propose a simple model of molecular-genetic mechanisms to explain how physiological events taking place immediately after injury regulate the spatial distribution of downstream gene expression and anatomy of regenerating planaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fallon Durant
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts
| | - Johanna Bischof
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts
| | - Chris Fields
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts
| | - Junji Morokuma
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts
| | - Joshua LaPalme
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts
| | - Alison Hoi
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts
| | - Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts.
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26
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Suzuki Y, Chou J, Garvey SL, Wang VR, Yanes KO. Evolution and Regulation of Limb Regeneration in Arthropods. Results Probl Cell Differ 2019; 68:419-454. [PMID: 31598866 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-23459-1_17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Regeneration has fascinated both scientists and non-scientists for centuries. Many organisms can regenerate, and arthropod limbs are no exception although their ability to regenerate is a product shaped by natural and sexual selection. Recent studies have begun to uncover cellular and molecular processes underlying limb regeneration in several arthropod species. Here we argue that an evo-devo approach to the study of arthropod limb regeneration is needed to understand aspects of limb regeneration that are conserved and divergent. In particular, we argue that limbs of different species are comprised of cells at distinct stages of differentiation at the time of limb loss and therefore provide insights into regeneration involving both stem cell-like cells/precursor cells and differentiated cells. In addition, we review recent studies that demonstrate how limb regeneration impacts the development of the whole organism and argue that studies on the link between local tissue damage and the rest of the body should provide insights into the integrative nature of development. Molecular studies on limb regeneration are only beginning to take off, but comparative studies on the mechanisms of limb regeneration across various taxa should not only yield interesting insights into development but also answer how this remarkable ability evolved across arthropods and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuichiro Suzuki
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA, USA.
| | - Jacquelyn Chou
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA, USA
| | - Sarah L Garvey
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA, USA
| | - Victoria R Wang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA, USA
| | - Katherine O Yanes
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA, USA
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27
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Characterizing the role of SWI/SNF-related chromatin remodeling complexes in planarian regeneration and stem cell function. Stem Cell Res 2018; 32:91-103. [DOI: 10.1016/j.scr.2018.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2018] [Revised: 08/18/2018] [Accepted: 09/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
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28
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Bioelectrical coupling in multicellular domains regulated by gap junctions: A conceptual approach. Bioelectrochemistry 2018; 123:45-61. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bioelechem.2018.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2018] [Revised: 04/13/2018] [Accepted: 04/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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29
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Pietak A, Levin M. Bioelectrical control of positional information in development and regeneration: A review of conceptual and computational advances. PROGRESS IN BIOPHYSICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2018; 137:52-68. [PMID: 29626560 PMCID: PMC10464501 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2018.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2018] [Revised: 03/23/2018] [Accepted: 03/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Positional information describes pre-patterns of morphogenetic substances that alter spatio-temporal gene expression to instruct development of growth and form. A wealth of recent data indicate bioelectrical properties, such as the transmembrane potential (Vmem), are involved as instructive signals in the spatiotemporal regulation of morphogenesis. However, the mechanistic relationships between Vmem and molecular positional information are only beginning to be understood. Recent advances in computational modeling are assisting in the development of comprehensive frameworks for mechanistically understanding how endogenous bioelectricity can guide anatomy in a broad range of systems. Vmem represents an extraordinarily strong electric field (∼1.0 × 106 V/m) active over the thin expanse of the plasma membrane, with the capacity to influence a variety of downstream molecular signaling cascades. Moreover, in multicellular networks, intercellular coupling facilitated by gap junction channels may induce directed, electrodiffusive transport of charged molecules between cells of the network to generate new positional information patterning possibilities and characteristics. Given the demonstrated role of Vmem in morphogenesis, here we review current understanding of how Vmem can integrate with molecular regulatory networks to control single cell state, and the unique properties bioelectricity adds to transport phenomena in gap junction-coupled cell networks to facilitate self-assembly of morphogen gradients and other patterns. Understanding how Vmem integrates with biochemical regulatory networks at the level of a single cell, and mechanisms through which Vmem shapes molecular positional information in multicellular networks, are essential for a deep understanding of body plan control in development, regeneration and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts, USA; Center for Regenerative and Developmental Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
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30
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Affiliation(s)
- Elly M. Tanaka
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna Biocenter (VBC), Vienna, Austria
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31
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Dattani A, Sridhar D, Aziz Aboobaker A. Planarian flatworms as a new model system for understanding the epigenetic regulation of stem cell pluripotency and differentiation. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2018; 87:79-94. [PMID: 29694837 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2018.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2018] [Accepted: 04/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Planarian flatworms possess pluripotent stem cells (neoblasts) that are able to differentiate into all cell types that constitute the adult body plan. Consequently, planarians possess remarkable regenerative capabilities. Transcriptomic studies have revealed that gene expression is coordinated to maintain neoblast pluripotency, and ensure correct lineage specification during differentiation. But as yet they have not revealed how this regulation of expression is controlled. In this review, we propose that planarians represent a unique and effective system to study the epigenetic regulation of these processes in an in vivo context. We consolidate evidence suggesting that although DNA methylation is likely present in some flatworm lineages, it does not regulate neoblast function in Schmidtea mediterranea. A number of phenotypic studies have documented the role of histone modification and chromatin remodelling complexes in regulating distinct neoblast processes, and we focus on four important examples of planarian epigenetic regulators: Nucleosome Remodeling Deacetylase (NuRD) complex, Polycomb Repressive Complex (PRC), the SET1/MLL methyltransferases, and the nuclear PIWI/piRNA complex. Given the recent advent of ChIP-seq in planarians, we propose future avenues of research that will identify the genomic targets of these complexes allowing for a clearer picture of how neoblast processes are coordinated at the epigenetic level. These insights into neoblast biology may be directly relevant to mammalian stem cells and disease. The unique biology of planarians will also allow us to investigate how extracellular signals feed into epigenetic regulatory networks to govern concerted neoblast responses during regenerative polarity, tissue patterning, and remodelling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anish Dattani
- Department of Zoology, South Parks Road, University of Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK.
| | - Divya Sridhar
- Department of Zoology, South Parks Road, University of Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK
| | - A Aziz Aboobaker
- Department of Zoology, South Parks Road, University of Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK.
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32
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Pellettieri J. Regenerative tissue remodeling in planarians - The mysteries of morphallaxis. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2018; 87:13-21. [PMID: 29631028 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2018.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2018] [Revised: 04/05/2018] [Accepted: 04/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Biologists have long marveled at the ability of planarian flatworms to regenerate any parts of their bodies in just a little over a week. While great progress has been made in deciphering the mechanisms by which new tissue is formed at sites of amputation, we know relatively little about the complementary remodeling response that occurs in uninjured tissues to restore anatomical scale and proportion. This review explores the mysterious biology of this process, first described in hydra by the father of experimental zoology, Abraham Trembley, and later termed 'morphallaxis' by the father of experimental genetics, Thomas Hunt Morgan. The perceptive work of these early pioneers, together with recent studies using modern tools, has revealed some of the key features of regenerative tissue remodeling, including repatterning of the body axes, reproportioning of organs like the brain and gut, and a major increase in the rate of cell death. Yet a mechanistic solution to this longstanding problem in the field will require further study by the next generation of planarian researchers.
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33
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Thiruvalluvan M, Barghouth PG, Tsur A, Broday L, Oviedo NJ. SUMOylation controls stem cell proliferation and regional cell death through Hedgehog signaling in planarians. Cell Mol Life Sci 2018; 75:1285-1301. [PMID: 29098326 PMCID: PMC7083543 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-017-2697-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2017] [Revised: 10/21/2017] [Accepted: 10/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Mechanisms underlying anteroposterior body axis differences during adult tissue maintenance and regeneration are poorly understood. Here, we identify that post-translational modifications through the SUMO (Small Ubiquitin-like Modifier) machinery are evolutionarily conserved in the Lophotrocozoan Schmidtea mediterranea. Disruption of SUMOylation in adult animals by RNA-interference of the only SUMO E2 conjugating enzyme Ubc9 leads to a systemic increase in DNA damage and a remarkable regional defect characterized by increased cell death and loss of the posterior half of the body. We identified that Ubc9 is mainly expressed in planarian stem cells (neoblasts) but it is also transcribed in differentiated cells including neurons. Regeneration in Ubc9(RNAi) animals is impaired and associated with low neoblast proliferation. We present evidence indicating that Ubc9-induced regional cell death is preceded by alterations in transcription and spatial expression of repressors and activators of the Hedgehog signaling pathway. Our results demonstrate that SUMOylation acts as a regional-specific cue to regulate cell fate during tissue renewal and regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manish Thiruvalluvan
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, 5200 North Lake Road, Merced, CA, 95343, USA
- Quantitative and Systems Biology Graduate Program, University of California, Merced, USA
| | - Paul G Barghouth
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, 5200 North Lake Road, Merced, CA, 95343, USA
- Quantitative and Systems Biology Graduate Program, University of California, Merced, USA
| | - Assaf Tsur
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Limor Broday
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Néstor J Oviedo
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, 5200 North Lake Road, Merced, CA, 95343, USA.
- Quantitative and Systems Biology Graduate Program, University of California, Merced, USA.
- Health Sciences Research Institute, University of California, Merced, USA.
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34
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Landge AN, Radhakrishnan D, Kareem A, Prasad K. Intermediate Developmental Phases During Regeneration. PLANT & CELL PHYSIOLOGY 2018; 59:702-707. [PMID: 29361166 DOI: 10.1093/pcp/pcy011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2017] [Accepted: 01/08/2018] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The initial view that regeneration can be a continuum in terms of regulatory mechanisms is gradually changing, and recent evidence points towards the presence of discrete regulatory steps and intermediate phases. Furthermore, regeneration presents an excellent example of a process generating order and pattern, i.e. a self-organization process. It is likely that the process traverses a set of intermediate phases before reaching an endpoint. Although some progress has been made in deciphering the identity of these intermediate phases, a lot more work is needed to derive a comprehensive and complete picture. Here, we discuss the intermediate developmental phases in plant regeneration and compare them with the possible intermediate developmental phases in animal regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amit N Landge
- School of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Thiruvananthapuram, 695016, India
| | - Dhanya Radhakrishnan
- School of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Thiruvananthapuram, 695016, India
| | - Abdul Kareem
- School of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Thiruvananthapuram, 695016, India
| | - Kalika Prasad
- School of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Thiruvananthapuram, 695016, India
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35
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Fields C, Levin M. Are Planaria Individuals? What Regenerative Biology is Telling Us About the Nature of Multicellularity. Evol Biol 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s11692-018-9448-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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36
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Generic wound signals initiate regeneration in missing-tissue contexts. Nat Commun 2017; 8:2282. [PMID: 29273738 PMCID: PMC5741630 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-02338-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2016] [Accepted: 11/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the identification of numerous regulators of regeneration in different animal models, a fundamental question remains: why do some wounds trigger the full regeneration of lost body parts, whereas others resolve by mere healing? By selectively inhibiting regeneration initiation, but not the formation of a wound epidermis, here we create headless planarians and finless zebrafish. Strikingly, in both missing-tissue contexts, injuries that normally do not trigger regeneration activate complete restoration of heads and fin rays. Our results demonstrate that generic wound signals have regeneration-inducing power. However, they are interpreted as regeneration triggers only in a permissive tissue context: when body parts are missing, or when tissue-resident polarity signals, such as Wnt activity in planarians, are modified. Hence, the ability to decode generic wound-induced signals as regeneration-initiating cues may be the crucial difference that distinguishes animals that regenerate from those that cannot. Some wounds trigger regeneration, while others simply heal but how this is regulated is unclear. Here, by manipulating ERK and Wnt signalling pathways, the authors create headless planarians and finless zebrafish and show that wounds that normally only trigger wound healing can activate regeneration of heads and bones.
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37
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Gufler S, Artes B, Bielen H, Krainer I, Eder MK, Falschlunger J, Bollmann A, Ostermann T, Valovka T, Hartl M, Bister K, Technau U, Hobmayer B. β-Catenin acts in a position-independent regeneration response in the simple eumetazoan Hydra. Dev Biol 2017; 433:310-323. [PMID: 29108673 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2017.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2017] [Revised: 08/23/2017] [Accepted: 09/04/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Wnt/β-Catenin signaling plays crucial roles in regenerative processes in eumetazoans. It also acts in regeneration and axial patterning in the simple freshwater polyp Hydra, whose morphallactic regenerative capacity is unparalleled in the animal kingdom. Previous studies have identified β-catenin as an early response gene activated within the first 30min in Hydra head regeneration. Here, we have studied the role of β-Catenin in more detail. First, we show that nuclear β-Catenin signaling is required for head and foot regeneration. Loss of nuclear β-Catenin function blocks head and foot regeneration. Transgenic Hydra tissue, in which β-Catenin is over-expressed, regenerates more heads and feet. In addition, we have identified a set of putative β-Catenin target genes by transcriptional profiling, and these genes exhibit distinct expression patterns in the hypostome, in the tentacles, or in an apical gradient in the body column. All of them are transcriptionally up-regulated in the tips of early head and foot regenerates. In foot regenerates, this is a transient response, and expression starts to disappear after 12-36h. ChIP experiments using an anti-HydraTcf antibody show Tcf binding at promoters of these targets. We propose that gene regulatory β-Catenin activity in the pre-patterning phase is generally required as an early regeneration response. When regenerates are blocked with iCRT14, initial local transcriptional activation of β-catenin and the target genes occurs, and all these genes remain upregulated at the site of both head and foot regeneration for the following 2-3 days. This indicates that the initial regulatory network is followed by position-specific programs that inactivate fractions of this network in order to proceed to differentiation of head or foot structures. brachyury1 (hybra1) has previously been described as early response gene in head and foot regeneration. The HyBra1 protein, however, appears in head regenerating tips not earlier than about twelve hours after decapitation, and HyBra1 translation does not occur in iCRT14-treated regenerates. Foot regenerates never show detectable levels of HyBra1 protein at all. These results suggest that translational control mechanisms may play a decisive role in the head- and foot-specific differentiation phase, and HyBra1 is an excellent candidate for such a key regulator of head specification.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Gufler
- Institute of Zoology and Center for Molecular Biosciences, University of Innsbruck, Austria
| | - B Artes
- Institute of Zoology and Center for Molecular Biosciences, University of Innsbruck, Austria
| | - H Bielen
- Department of Molecular Evolution and Development, University of Vienna, Austria
| | - I Krainer
- Institute of Zoology and Center for Molecular Biosciences, University of Innsbruck, Austria
| | - M-K Eder
- Institute of Zoology and Center for Molecular Biosciences, University of Innsbruck, Austria
| | - J Falschlunger
- Institute of Zoology and Center for Molecular Biosciences, University of Innsbruck, Austria
| | - A Bollmann
- Institute of Zoology and Center for Molecular Biosciences, University of Innsbruck, Austria
| | - T Ostermann
- Institute of Zoology and Center for Molecular Biosciences, University of Innsbruck, Austria
| | - T Valovka
- Institute of Biochemistry and Center for Molecular Biosciences, University of Innsbruck, Austria
| | - M Hartl
- Institute of Biochemistry and Center for Molecular Biosciences, University of Innsbruck, Austria
| | - K Bister
- Institute of Biochemistry and Center for Molecular Biosciences, University of Innsbruck, Austria
| | - U Technau
- Department of Molecular Evolution and Development, University of Vienna, Austria
| | - B Hobmayer
- Institute of Zoology and Center for Molecular Biosciences, University of Innsbruck, Austria.
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38
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Galliot B, Crescenzi M, Jacinto A, Tajbakhsh S. Trends in tissue repair and regeneration. Development 2017; 144:357-364. [PMID: 28143842 DOI: 10.1242/dev.144279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The 6th EMBO conference on the Molecular and Cellular Basis of Regeneration and Tissue Repair took place in Paestum (Italy) on the 17th-21st September, 2016. The 160 scientists who attended discussed the importance of cellular and tissue plasticity, biophysical aspects of regeneration, the diverse roles of injury-induced immune responses, strategies to reactivate regeneration in mammals, links between regeneration and ageing, and the impact of non-mammalian models on regenerative medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brigitte Galliot
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, Institute of Genetics and Genomics in Geneva (iGE3), University of Geneva, CH-1211 Geneva 04, Switzerland
| | - Marco Crescenzi
- Department of Cell Biology and Neurosciences, National Institute of Health, I-00161 Roma, Italy
| | - Antonio Jacinto
- CEDOC, NOVA Medical School, NOVA University of Lisbon, Lisboa 1169-056, Portugal
| | - Shahragim Tajbakhsh
- Department of Developmental & Stem Cell Biology, Stem Cells & Development Unit, CNRS UMR 3738, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France
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39
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Li X, Sun L, Yang H, Zhang L, Miao T, Xing L, Huo D. Identification and expression characterization of WntA during intestinal regeneration in the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus. Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol 2017. [PMID: 28647408 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpb.2017.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Wnt genes encode secreted glycoproteins that act as signaling molecules; these molecules direct cell proliferation, migration, differentiation and survival during animal development, maintenance of homeostasis and regeneration. At present, although the regeneration mechanism in Apostichopus japonicus has been studied, there is a little research on the Wnt signaling pathway in A. japonicus. To understand the potential role of the Wnt signaling pathway in A. japonicus, we cloned and sequenced the WntA gene in A. japonicus. Protein localization analysis showed that WntA protein was ubiquitously expressed in epidermal cells, the muscle and submucosa of the intestinal tissue. After stimulation and evisceration, the dynamic changes in expression of the WntA gene and protein showed that WntA was constitutively expressed during different stages of intestine regeneration in A. japonicus, with higher levels during the early wound healing stage and late lumen formation in the residual and nascent intestinal tissues, indicating its response to intestinal regeneration. Simultaneously, cell proliferation and apoptosis analysis showed that the patterns of cell proliferation were similar to the patterns of WntA protein expression during different intestinal regeneration stages in this organism. Taken together, these results suggested that WntA might participate in intestinal regeneration and may be connected with cell proliferation, apoptosis in different intestinal layers. This research could establish a basis for further examination of WntA functions in A. japonicus and Wnt genes in other echinoderms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoni Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Lina Sun
- CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266071, China.
| | - Hongsheng Yang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266071, China.
| | - Libin Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Ting Miao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Lili Xing
- CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Da Huo
- CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266071, China
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40
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Morokuma J, Durant F, Williams KB, Finkelstein JM, Blackiston DJ, Clements T, Reed DW, Roberts M, Jain M, Kimel K, Trauger SA, Wolfe BE, Levin M. Planarian regeneration in space: Persistent anatomical, behavioral, and bacteriological changes induced by space travel. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 4:85-102. [PMID: 28616247 PMCID: PMC5469732 DOI: 10.1002/reg2.79] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2017] [Revised: 03/27/2017] [Accepted: 04/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Regeneration is regulated not only by chemical signals but also by physical processes, such as bioelectric gradients. How these may change in the absence of the normal gravitational and geomagnetic fields is largely unknown. Planarian flatworms were moved to the International Space Station for 5 weeks, immediately after removing their heads and tails. A control group in spring water remained on Earth. No manipulation of the planaria occurred while they were in orbit, and space‐exposed worms were returned to our laboratory for analysis. One animal out of 15 regenerated into a double‐headed phenotype—normally an extremely rare event. Remarkably, amputating this double‐headed worm again, in plain water, resulted again in the double‐headed phenotype. Moreover, even when tested 20 months after return to Earth, the space‐exposed worms displayed significant quantitative differences in behavior and microbiome composition. These observations may have implications for human and animal space travelers, but could also elucidate how microgravity and hypomagnetic environments could be used to trigger desired morphological, neurological, physiological, and bacteriomic changes for various regenerative and bioengineering applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junji Morokuma
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University Biology Department Tufts University 200 Boston Ave., Suite 4600 Medford MA 02155-4243 USA
| | - Fallon Durant
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University Biology Department Tufts University 200 Boston Ave., Suite 4600 Medford MA 02155-4243 USA
| | - Katherine B Williams
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University Biology Department Tufts University 200 Boston Ave., Suite 4600 Medford MA 02155-4243 USA
| | - Joshua M Finkelstein
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University Biology Department Tufts University 200 Boston Ave., Suite 4600 Medford MA 02155-4243 USA
| | - Douglas J Blackiston
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University Biology Department Tufts University 200 Boston Ave., Suite 4600 Medford MA 02155-4243 USA
| | - Twyman Clements
- Kentucky Space LLC, 200 West Vine St., Suite 420 Lexington KY 40507 USA
| | - David W Reed
- NASA Kennedy Space Center Space Station Processing Facility Building M7-0360, Kennedy Space Center FL 32899 USA
| | - Michael Roberts
- Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) 6905 N. Wickham Rd., Suite 500 Melbourne FL 32940 USA
| | - Mahendra Jain
- Kentucky Space LLC, 200 West Vine St., Suite 420 Lexington KY 40507 USA
| | - Kris Kimel
- Exomedicine Institute 200 West Vine St. Lexington KY 40507 USA
| | - Sunia A Trauger
- Harvard University Small Molecule Mass Spectrometry Facility 52 Oxford St. Cambridge MA 02138 USA
| | - Benjamin E Wolfe
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University Biology Department Tufts University 200 Boston Ave., Suite 4600 Medford MA 02155-4243 USA
| | - Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University Biology Department Tufts University 200 Boston Ave., Suite 4600 Medford MA 02155-4243 USA
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41
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Durant F, Morokuma J, Fields C, Williams K, Adams DS, Levin M. Long-Term, Stochastic Editing of Regenerative Anatomy via Targeting Endogenous Bioelectric Gradients. Biophys J 2017; 112:2231-2243. [PMID: 28538159 PMCID: PMC5443973 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2017.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2017] [Revised: 03/30/2017] [Accepted: 04/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
We show that regenerating planarians' normal anterior-posterior pattern can be permanently rewritten by a brief perturbation of endogenous bioelectrical networks. Temporary modulation of regenerative bioelectric dynamics in amputated trunk fragments of planaria stochastically results in a constant ratio of regenerates with two heads to regenerates with normal morphology. Remarkably, this is shown to be due not to partial penetrance of treatment, but a profound yet hidden alteration to the animals' patterning circuitry. Subsequent amputations of the morphologically normal regenerates in water result in the same ratio of double-headed to normal morphology, revealing a cryptic phenotype that is not apparent unless the animals are cut. These animals do not differ from wild-type worms in histology, expression of key polarity genes, or neoblast distribution. Instead, the altered regenerative bodyplan is stored in seemingly normal planaria via global patterns of cellular resting potential. This gradient is functionally instructive, and represents a multistable, epigenetic anatomical switch: experimental reversals of bioelectric state reset subsequent regenerative morphology back to wild-type. Hence, bioelectric properties can stably override genome-default target morphology, and provide a tractable control point for investigating cryptic phenotypes and the stochasticity of large-scale epigenetic controls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fallon Durant
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, and Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts
| | - Junji Morokuma
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, and Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts
| | | | - Katherine Williams
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, and Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts
| | - Dany Spencer Adams
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, and Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts
| | - Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, and Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts.
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42
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43
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Seebeck F, März M, Meyer AW, Reuter H, Vogg MC, Stehling M, Mildner K, Zeuschner D, Rabert F, Bartscherer K. Integrins are required for tissue organization and restriction of neurogenesis in regenerating planarians. Development 2017; 144:795-807. [PMID: 28137894 PMCID: PMC5374344 DOI: 10.1242/dev.139774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2016] [Accepted: 01/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Tissue regeneration depends on proliferative cells and on cues that regulate cell division, differentiation, patterning and the restriction of these processes once regeneration is complete. In planarians, flatworms with high regenerative potential, muscle cells express some of these instructive cues. Here, we show that members of the integrin family of adhesion molecules are required for the integrity of regenerating tissues, including the musculature. Remarkably, in regenerating β1-integrin RNAi planarians, we detected increased numbers of mitotic cells and progenitor cell types, as well as a reduced ability of stem cells and lineage-restricted progenitor cells to accumulate at wound sites. These animals also formed ectopic spheroid structures of neural identity in regenerating heads. Interestingly, those polarized assemblies comprised a variety of neural cells and underwent continuous growth. Our study indicates that integrin-mediated cell adhesion is required for the regenerative formation of organized tissues and for restricting neurogenesis during planarian regeneration. Highlighted article: Integrin signaling acts to recruit and localize progenitor cells following injury, thereby promoting the correct organization of regenerating planarian tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Seebeck
- Max Planck Research Group Stem Cells & Regeneration, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Von-Esmarch-Str. 54, Münster 48149, Germany.,Medical Faculty, University of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Martin März
- Max Planck Research Group Stem Cells & Regeneration, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Von-Esmarch-Str. 54, Münster 48149, Germany.,Medical Faculty, University of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Anna-Wiebke Meyer
- Max Planck Research Group Stem Cells & Regeneration, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Von-Esmarch-Str. 54, Münster 48149, Germany.,Medical Faculty, University of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Hanna Reuter
- Max Planck Research Group Stem Cells & Regeneration, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Von-Esmarch-Str. 54, Münster 48149, Germany.,Medical Faculty, University of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Matthias C Vogg
- Max Planck Research Group Stem Cells & Regeneration, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Von-Esmarch-Str. 54, Münster 48149, Germany.,Medical Faculty, University of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Martin Stehling
- Flow Cytometry Unit, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Röntgenstrasse 20, Münster 48149, Germany
| | - Karina Mildner
- Electron Microscopy Unit, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Röntgenstrasse 20, Münster 48149, Germany
| | - Dagmar Zeuschner
- Electron Microscopy Unit, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Röntgenstrasse 20, Münster 48149, Germany
| | - Franziska Rabert
- Max Planck Research Group Stem Cells & Regeneration, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Von-Esmarch-Str. 54, Münster 48149, Germany.,Medical Faculty, University of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Kerstin Bartscherer
- Max Planck Research Group Stem Cells & Regeneration, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Von-Esmarch-Str. 54, Münster 48149, Germany .,Medical Faculty, University of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, 48149 Münster, Germany
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