Wudarski Jakub, Egger Bernhard, Ramm Steven A, Schärer Lukas, Ladurner Peter, Zadesenets Kira S, Rubtsov Nikolay B, Mouton Stijn, Berezikov Eugene
1European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Antonius Deusinglaan 1, 9713AV Groningen, The Netherlands.
2Institute of Zoology and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck, University of Innsbruck, Technikerstr. 25, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
Evodevo. 2020 Mar 2;11:5. doi: 10.1186/s13227-020-00150-1. eCollection 2020.
is a free-living flatworm that is emerging as an attractive experimental animal for research on a broad range of biological questions. One feature setting it apart from other flatworms is the successful establishment of transgenesis methods, facilitated by a steady supply of eggs in the form of single-cell zygotes that can be readily manipulated. This, in combination with the transparency of the animal and its small size, creates practical advantages for imaging and fluorescence-activated cell sorting in studies related to stem cell biology and regeneration. can regenerate most of its body parts, including the germline, thanks to the neoblasts, which represent the flatworm stem cell system. Interestingly, neoblasts seem to have a high capacity of cellular maintenance, as can survive up to 210 Gy of γ-irradiation, and partially offset the negative consequence of ageing. As a non-self-fertilizing simultaneous hermaphrodite that reproduces in a sexual manner, is also used to study sexual selection and other evolutionary aspects of sexual reproduction. Work over the past several years has led to the development of molecular resources and tools, including high-quality genome and transcriptome assemblies, transcriptional profiling of the germline and somatic neoblasts, gene knockdown, and in situ hybridization. The increasingly detailed characterization of this animal has also resulted in novel research questions, such as bio-adhesion based on its adhesion-release glands and genome evolution due to its recent whole-genome duplication.
是一种自由生活的扁虫，正成为研究广泛生物学问题的有吸引力的实验动物。使其与其他扁虫区分开来的一个特征是转基因方法的成功建立，这得益于以单细胞受精卵形式稳定供应的卵子，这些卵子易于操作。这与动物的透明性及其小尺寸相结合，为干细胞生物学和再生相关研究中的成像和荧光激活细胞分选创造了实际优势。由于代表扁虫干细胞系统的新生细胞，它能够再生其大部分身体部位，包括生殖系。有趣的是，新生细胞似乎具有很高的细胞维持能力，因为它能够在高达210戈瑞的γ射线照射下存活，并部分抵消衰老的负面影响。作为一种以有性方式繁殖的非自体受精的雌雄同体动物，它也被用于研究性选择和有性生殖的其他进化方面。过去几年的工作导致了分子资源和工具的开发，包括高质量的基因组和转录组组装、生殖系和体细胞新生细胞的转录谱分析、基因敲低和原位杂交。对这种动物越来越详细的表征也带来了新的研究问题，例如基于其粘附 - 释放腺的生物粘附以及由于其最近的全基因组复制导致的基因组进化。
