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What is the role of PIWI family proteins in adult pluripotent stem cells? Insights from asexually reproducing animals, planarians
Author(s) -
Kashima Makoto,
Agata Kiyokazu,
Shibata Norito
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
development, growth and differentiation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.864
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1440-169X
pISSN - 0012-1592
DOI - 10.1111/dgd.12688
Subject(s) - biology , planarian , piwi interacting rna , asexual reproduction , planaria , induced pluripotent stem cell , germline , regeneration (biology) , somatic cell , stem cell , evolutionary biology , genetics , microbiology and biotechnology , gene , transposable element , genome , embryonic stem cell
Planarians have a remarkable regenerative ability owing to their adult pluripotent stem cells (aPSCs), which are called “neoblasts.” Planarians maintain a considerable number of neoblasts throughout their adulthood to supply differentiated cells for the maintenance of tissue homeostasis and asexual reproduction (fission followed by regeneration). Thus, planarians serve as a good model to study the regulatory mechanisms of in vivo aPSCs. In asexually reproducing invertebrates, such as sponge, Hydra, and planaria, piwi family genes are the markers most commonly expressed in aPSCs. While piwi family genes are known as guardians against transposable elements in the germline cells of animals that only sexually propagate, their functions in the aPSC system have remained elusive. In this review, we introduce recent knowledge on the PIWI family proteins in the aPSC system in planarians and other organisms and discuss how PIWI family proteins contribute to the regulation of the aPSC system.