The planarian wound epidermis gene equinox is required for blastema formation in regeneration
Author(s)
Scimone, M Lucila; Cloutier, Jennifer K; Maybrun, Chloe L; Reddien, Peter W
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<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Regeneration often involves the formation of a blastema, an outgrowth or regenerative bud formed at the plane of injury where missing tissues are produced. The mechanisms that trigger blastema formation are therefore fundamental for regeneration. Here, we identify a gene, which we named <jats:italic>equinox</jats:italic>, that is expressed within hours of injury in the planarian wound epidermis. <jats:italic>equinox</jats:italic> encodes a predicted secreted protein that is conserved in many animal phyla. Following <jats:italic>equinox</jats:italic> inhibition, amputated planarians fail to maintain wound-induced gene expression and to subsequently undergo blastema outgrowth. Associated with these defects is an inability to reestablish lost positional information needed for missing tissue specification. Our findings link the planarian wound epidermis, through <jats:italic>equinox</jats:italic>, to regeneration of positional information and blastema formation, indicating a broad regulatory role of the wound epidermis in diverse regenerative contexts.</jats:p>
Date issued
2022Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of BiologyJournal
Nature Communications
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Citation
Scimone, M Lucila, Cloutier, Jennifer K, Maybrun, Chloe L and Reddien, Peter W. 2022. "The planarian wound epidermis gene equinox is required for blastema formation in regeneration." Nature Communications, 13 (1).
Version: Final published version