Work

Two FGFRL-Wnt circuits organize the planarian anteroposterior axis

Year: 2016

Type: article

Abstract: How positional information instructs adult tissue maintenance is poorly understood. Planarians undergo whole-body regeneration and tissue turnover, providing a model for adult positional information studies. Genes encoding secreted and transmembrane components of multiple developmental pathways are predominantly expressed in planarian muscle cells. Several of these genes regulate regional identity, consistent with muscle harboring positional information. Here, single-cell RNA-sequencing of 115 muscle cells from distinct anterior-posterior regions identified 44 regionally expressed genes, including multiple Wnt and ndk/FGF receptor-like (ndl/FGFRL) genes. Two distinct FGFRL-Wnt circuits, involving juxtaposed anterior FGFRL and posterior Wnt expression domains, controlled planarian head and trunk patterning. ndl-3 and wntP-2 inhibition expanded the trunk, forming ectopic mouths and secondary pharynges, which independently extended and ingested food. fz5/8-4 inhibition, like that of ndk and wntA, caused posterior brain expansion and ectopic eye formation. Our results suggest that FGFRL-Wnt circuits operate within a body-wide coordinate system to control adult axial positioning.

Source: eLife

DOI: 10.7554/elife.12845

Authors: M Lucila Scimone, Lauren E Cote, Travis Rogers, Peter W Reddien

Institutions: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Language: English

Topic: Planarian Biology and Electrostimulation

Subfield: Molecular Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,500

Funders: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, National Institute of General Medical Sciences