Abstract:
Whole-body regeneration, the ability to reconstruct complete individuals from small fragments, is rare among ribbon worms (phylum Nemertea) but present in the pilidiophoran species Lineus sanguineus. This species can regenerate complete individuals from a tiny midbody section, and even from a quarter of a piece, provided it retains a fragment of a lateral nerve cord. While a few other unrelated species of ribbon worms are also excellent regenerators, L. sanguineus is unique in having evolved its regenerative abilities quite recently and thus offers an exceptional opportunity to gain insight into the evolutionary mechanisms of regeneration enhancement. Interestingly, both its sister species Lineus lacteus and Lineus pseudolacteus, a third species derived from the recent hybridization of the other two, differ in their regeneration abilities: while L. lacteus is uncapable of regenerating a lost head, L. pseudolacteus is capable of anterior regeneration, albeit at a slower rate than L. sanguineus. L. sanguineus has a worldwide distribution in temperate shores of both hemispheres, is readily found at intertidal habitats, and can survive, feed and be bred through asexual replication with minimal effort in laboratory settings. All the above make this species a superb candidate for studies of regenerative biology. In this chapter, we present protocols to collect, identify and breed L. sanguineus to study the extraordinary whole-body regeneration abilities found in this species.
摘要:
全身再生,从小碎片中重建完整个体的能力,在带状蠕虫(Nemertea门)中很少见,但存在于pilidiophoran物种Lineussanguineus中。这个物种可以从一个微小的中体部分再生完整的个体,甚至从四分之一的一块,只要它保留了外侧神经索的碎片。虽然其他一些不相关的带状蠕虫也是极好的再生器,血L.sanguineus在最近进化了其再生能力方面是独一无二的,因此为深入了解再生增强的进化机制提供了绝佳的机会。有趣的是,它的姐妹物种Lineuslacteus和Lineuspseudolacteus,第三个物种来自其他两个物种最近的杂交,它们的再生能力不同:虽然乳杆菌不能再生丢失的头,假肢能够前再生,尽管速度比血根病慢。血根病在两个半球的温带海岸都有全球分布,很容易在潮间带栖息地找到,并且可以生存,饲料和繁殖通过无性繁殖与最小的努力在实验室设置。所有这些使这个物种成为再生生物学研究的绝佳候选者。在这一章中,我们提出要收集的协议,鉴定和繁殖L.sanguineus,以研究该物种中发现的非凡的全身再生能力。