Open AccessNervous system development and regeneration in freshwater planarians
Author(s) -
Ross Kelly G.,
Currie Ko W.,
Pearson Bret J.,
Zayas Ricardo M.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
wiley interdisciplinary reviews: developmental biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.779
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1759-7692
pISSN - 1759-7684
DOI - 10.1002/wdev.266
Subject(s) - planarian , neurogenesis , neuroscience , regeneration (biology) , biology , neuroanatomy , nervous system , stem cell , function (biology) , planaria , neural stem cell , model organism , developmental biology , anatomy , microbiology and biotechnology , gene , genetics
Planarians have a long history in the fields of developmental and regenerative biology. These animals have also sparked interest in neuroscience due to their neuroanatomy, spectrum of simple behaviors, and especially, their almost unparalleled ability to generate new neurons after any type of injury. Research in adult planarians has revealed that neuronal subtypes homologous to those found in vertebrates are generated from stem cells throughout their lives. This feat is recapitulated after head amputation, wherein animals are capable of regenerating whole brains and regaining complete neural function. In this review, we summarize early studies on the anatomy and function of the planarian nervous system and discuss our present knowledge of the molecular mechanisms governing neurogenesis in planarians. Modern studies demonstrate that the transcriptional programs underlying neuronal specification are conserved in these remarkable organisms. Thus, planarians are outstanding models to investigate questions about how stem cells can replace neurons in vivo . WIREs Dev Biol 2017, 6:e266. doi: 10.1002/wdev.266 This article is categorized under: Adult Stem Cells, Tissue Renewal, and Regeneration > Regeneration Comparative Development and Evolution > Model Systems