Reproductive mode and ovarian morphology regulation in chimeric planarians composed of asexual and sexual neoblasts

Molecular Reproduction and Development
Hanae Nodono, Midori Matsumoto

Abstract

Planarians are comprised of populations with different reproductive strategies: exclusively innately asexual (AS), exclusively innately sexual (InS), and seasonally switching. AS worms can be sexualized experimentally by feeding them with minced InS worms, and the resultant worms are characterized as acquired sexual (AqS). Differences between InS and AqS worms are expected to provide important clues to the poorly understood mechanism underlying the regulation of their reproductive mode. Morphological differences were found between InS and AqS worm ovaries, and we showed that the pluripotent stem cells (neoblasts) from InS worms, but not those of AqS worms, have the capacity to initiate the sexual state autonomously via neoblast fraction transplantation. To compare their reproductive mode and ovarian morphology regulation, InS donor neoblast fractions were transplanted into non-lethally X-ray-irradiated AS recipients. All transplants showed stable chimerism and reproduced sexually, suggesting that InS worm neoblasts can initiate sexual state autonomously, even when coexisting with AS worm neoblasts. The chimeras formed extraordinarily large and supernumerary ovaries equivalent to AqS worms, which were not seen in InS worms, sugg...Continue Reading

References

Apr 25, 2002·Nature Reviews. Genetics·Philip A Newmark, Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado
Jul 20, 2002·Zoological Science·Kazuya KobayashiMotonori Hoshi
Oct 2, 2008·Development, Growth & Differentiation·Kazuya KobayashiMidori Matsumoto
Apr 25, 2009·Developmental Biology·Alessandra SalvettiVittorio Gremigni
Sep 1, 2009·Integrative Zoology·Kazuya KobayashiMidori Matsumoto
Apr 1, 2003·Integrative and Comparative Biology·Motonori HoshiMidori Matsumoto
Mar 28, 2012·The International Journal of Developmental Biology·Haruka NakagawaMidori Matsumoto

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Sep 13, 2012·Molecular Reproduction and Development·Hanae NodonoMidori Matsumoto
Oct 30, 2013·American Journal of Medical Genetics. Part a·Ginevra Zanni, John M Opitz

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Anthelmintics (ASM)

Anthelmintics or antihelminthics are a group of antiparasitic drugs that expel parasitic worms (helminths) and other internal parasites from the body by either stunning or killing them and without causing significant damage to the host. Discover the latest research on anthelmintics here.

Anthelmintics

Anthelmintics or antihelminthics are a group of antiparasitic drugs that expel parasitic worms (helminths) and other internal parasites from the body by either stunning or killing them and without causing significant damage to the host. Discover the latest research on anthelmintics here.