scholarly journals Planarians Sense Simulated Microgravity and Hypergravity

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa Adell ◽  
Emili Saló ◽  
Jack J. W. A. van Loon ◽  
Gennaro Auletta
Keyword(s):  
Cell Biology ◽  
Simulated Microgravity ◽  
Large Diameter ◽  
Model System ◽  
Stem Cell Biology ◽  
Altered Gravity ◽  
Random Positioning Machine ◽  
Planarian Regeneration ◽  
Regenerative Ability ◽  
Classical Subject

Planarians are flatworms, which belong to the phylumPlatyhelminthes.They have been a classical subject of study due to their amazing regenerative ability, which relies on the existence of adult totipotent stem cells. Nowadays they are an emerging model system in the field of developmental, regenerative, and stem cell biology. In this study we analyze the effect of a simulated microgravity and a hypergravity environment during the process of planarian regeneration and embryogenesis. We demonstrate that simulated microgravity by means of the random positioning machine (RPM) set at a speed of 60 °/s but not at 10 °/s produces the dead of planarians. Under hypergravity of 3 g and 4 g in a large diameter centrifuge (LDC) planarians can regenerate missing tissues, although a decrease in the proliferation rate is observed. Under 8 g hypergravity small planarian fragments are not able to regenerate. Moreover, we found an effect of gravity alterations in the rate of planarian scission, which is its asexual mode of reproduction. No apparent effects of altered gravity were found during the embryonic development.

scholarly journals Extreme Environmental Stress-Induced Biological Responses in the Planarian

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Zhonghong Cao ◽  
Hongjin Liu ◽  
Bosheng Zhao ◽  
Qiuxiang Pang ◽  
Xiufang Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Stress ◽  
Cell Biology ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
The Body ◽  
Stem Cell Biology ◽  
Altered Gravity ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Biological Responses ◽  
Regenerative Ability ◽  
Shed Light

Planarians are bilaterally symmetric metazoans of the phylum Platyhelminthes. They have well-defined anteroposterior and dorsoventral axes and have a highly structured true brain which consists of all neural cell types and neuropeptides found in a vertebrate. Planarian flatworms are famous for their strong regenerative ability; they can easily regenerate any part of the body including the complete neoformation of a functional brain within a few days and can survive a series of extreme environmental stress. Nowadays, they are an emerging model system in the field of developmental, regenerative, and stem cell biology and have offered lots of helpful information for these realms. In this review, we will summarize the response of planarians to some typical environmental stress and hope to shed light on basic mechanisms of how organisms interact with extreme environmental stress and survive it, such as altered gravity, temperature, and oxygen, and this information will help researchers improve the design in future studies.

scholarly journals Transcriptomic Analysis of Planarians under Simulated Microgravity or 8 g Demonstrates That Alteration of Gravity Induces Genomic and Cellular Alterations That Could Facilitate Tumoral Transformation

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 720
Author(s):  
Nídia de Sousa ◽  
Gustavo Rodriguez-Esteban ◽  
Ivan Colagè ◽  
Paolo D’Ambrosio ◽  
Jack van Loon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Simulated Microgravity ◽  
Model System ◽  
Transcriptomic Analysis ◽  
Hippo Signaling ◽  
Random Positioning Machine ◽  
Transcriptomic Data ◽  
Earth Environment ◽  
Ideal System ◽  
The World ◽  
Cellular Alterations

The possibility of humans to live outside of Earth on another planet has attracted the attention of numerous scientists around the world. One of the greatest difficulties is that humans cannot live in an extra-Earth environment without proper equipment. In addition, the consequences of chronic gravity alterations in human body are not known. Here, we used planarians as a model system to test how gravity fluctuations could affect complex organisms. Planarians are an ideal system, since they can regenerate any missing part and they are continuously renewing their tissues. We performed a transcriptomic analysis of animals submitted to simulated microgravity (Random Positioning Machine, RPM) (s-µg) and hypergravity (8 g), and we observed that the transcriptional levels of several genes are affected. Surprisingly, we found the major differences in the s-µg group. The results obtained in the transcriptomic analysis were validated, demonstrating that our transcriptomic data is reliable. We also found that, in a sensitive environment, as under Hippo signaling silencing, gravity fluctuations potentiate the increase in cell proliferation. Our data revealed that changes in gravity severely affect genetic transcription and that these alterations potentiate molecular disorders that could promote the development of multiple diseases such as cancer.

scholarly journals Effects of altered gravity induced by clinorotation on the cholinesterase activity of the non-sentient model Paramecium primaurelia (Protozoa)

2018 ◽  
Vol 91 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Sardi ◽  
Martina Rossi ◽  
Sara Ferrando ◽  
Maria Angela Masini ◽  
Federico Biggi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Simulated Microgravity ◽  
Cholinesterase Activity ◽  
Developmental Cycle ◽  
Unicellular Organism ◽  
Altered Gravity ◽  
Random Positioning Machine ◽  
Earth Gravity ◽  
Microgravity Conditions ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
Chemical Mediators

Compounds known as chemical mediators, including acetylcholine, have been found not only in humans and animals, but also in living organisms, like protozoa, which lack nervous system. In Paramecium primaurelia has been described a cholinergic system, which is proven to play an important role in cell-cell interactions during its developmental cycle. In our work we investigated the effects of exposure to simulated microgravity (3D Random Positioning Machine, 56 rpm, 10-6 g) on the cholinesterase activity of the eukaryote unicellular-organism alternative-model P. primaurelia. Our results show that the exposure of P. primaurelia to microgravity for 6 h, 24 h, 48 h affects the localization and the amount of cholinesterase activity compared to cells grown under Earth gravity conditions (1 g). However, these effects are transient since P. primaurelia restores its normal cholinesterase activity after 72 h under microgravity conditions, as well as cells exposed up to 72 h to microgravity and then placed under terrestrial gravity for 48 h.

scholarly journals Live imaging of intracellular pH in planarians using the ratiometric fluorescent dye SNARF-5F-AM

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy Scott Beane ◽  
Dany Spencer Adams ◽  
Junji Morokuma ◽  
Michael Levin
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cell ◽  
Cell Biology ◽  
Cell Activity ◽  
Tissue Level ◽  
Model System ◽  
Resting Potential ◽  
Stem Cell Biology ◽  
Ph Gradients ◽  
Fluorescent Reporter

Abstract Physiological parameters such as resting potential and pH are increasingly recognized as important regulators of cell activity and tissue-level events in regeneration, development, and cancer. The availability of fluorescent reporter dyes has greatly increased the ability to track these properties in vivo. The planarian flatworm is an important and highly tractable model system for regeneration, stem cell biology, and neuroscience; however, no protocols have been published for investigating pH in this system. Here, we report a simple and effective protocol for imaging pH gradients in living planaria suitable for intact and regenerating flatworms.

scholarly journals The Earthworm Eudrilus Eugeniae: a Model Organism for Regenerative Biology

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Sudhakar Sivasubramaniam ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cell ◽  
Cell Biology ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
Model System ◽  
Stem Cell Biology ◽  
Eudrilus Eugeniae

The earthworm, Eudrilus eugeniae is an economical model system for cell and molecular biological experiments to study regeneration and stem cell biology. The purpose of this brief review is to summarize those published studies on the regeneration biology using E. eugenia and to provide the advantages of the model system.

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