A Spatiotemporal Characterisation of Redox Molecules in Planarians, with a Focus on the Role of Glutathione during Regeneration

Abstract

A strict coordination between pro- and antioxidative molecules is needed for normal animal physiology, although their exact function and dynamics during regeneration and development remains largely unknown. Via in vivo imaging, we were able to locate and discriminate between reactive oxygen species (ROS) in real-time during different physiological stages of the highly regenerative planarian Schmidtea mediterranea. All ROS signals were strong enough to overcome the detected autofluorescence. Combined with an in situ characterisation and quantification of the transcription of several antioxidant genes, our data showed that the planarian gut and epidermis have a well-equipped redox system. Pharmacological inhibition or RNA interference of either side of the redox balance resulted in alterations in the regeneration process, characterised by decreased blastema sizes and delayed neurodevelopment, thereby affecting tails more than heads. Focusing on glutathione, a central component in the redox balance, we found that it is highly present in planarians and that a significant reduction in glutathione content led to regenerative failure with tissue lesions, characterised by underlying stem cell alterations. This exploratory study indicates that ROS and antioxidants are tightly intertwined and should be studied as a whole to fully comprehend the function of the redox balance in animal physiology.

Djhsp60 Is Required for Planarian Regeneration and Homeostasis

“…Our FISH results showed that Sod , Gst , and Gpx were mainly expressed in the intestinal system ( Figure 9 C), and the downregulation of their transcripts after RNAi was also validated by qRT-PCR ( Figure 9 D). Recently, Bijnens et al [ 54 ] investigated ROS production and the expression of antioxidant genes in planarians, and their results confirmed the reliability of our findings. The downregulation of antioxidant genes and the loss of ROS in the intestinal system both indicated that the intestinal system was severely affected by RNAi.…”

Weak magnetic fields modulate superoxide to control planarian regeneration

“…There is ample evidence that H 2 O 2 signaling plays an active role in planarian regeneration. H 2 O 2 is upregulated at all wound sites within the first hour [40,47]. The ROS inhibitor DPI inhibits both blastema formation and wound site H 2 O 2 accumulation [15, 39,40].…”

TMT-Based Quantitative Proteomic Analysis Reveals the Key Role of Cell Proliferation and Apoptosis in Intestine Regeneration of Apostichopus japonicus

“…Similarly, the upregulation of glutathione metabolism has also been confirmed in other regeneration modes. We found that it is highly present in planarians and that a significant reduction in glutathione content led to regenerative failure with tissue lesions [19]. Likewise, increased glutathione metabolism level occurs early during liver regeneration, preventing the increase in GSH after a two-third partial hepatectomy will blunted liver regeneration [20].…”