Characterization of the pigment produced by the planarian, <i>Dugesia ryukyuensis</i>

Hase, Sumitaka; Wakamatsu, Kazumasa; Fujimoto, Kengo; Inaba, Akemi; Kobayashi, Kazuya; Matsumoto, Midori; Hoshi, Motonori; Negishi, Shinichi

doi:10.1111/j.1600-0749.2006.00306.x

Cited by 20 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 9 publications

(12 reference statements)

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“…As in vertebrates, but unlike most protostomes, the planarian optic shading pigment is primarily composed of melanin [13]. Consistent with this, we found that the Schmidtea mediterranea gene Smed-tyrosinase (Figure S1), homologs of which are required for melanin synthesis [14], was expressed exclusively in the pigment cup region of the planarian eye (Figure 1B and 1C and Figure S2).…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 83%

dlx and sp6-9 Control Optic Cup Regeneration in a Prototypic Eye

2011

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Optic cups are a structural feature of diverse eyes, from simple pit eyes to camera eyes of vertebrates and cephalopods. We used the planarian prototypic eye as a model to study the genetic control of optic cup formation and regeneration. We identified two genes encoding transcription factors, sp6-9 and dlx, that were expressed in the eye specifically in the optic cup and not the photoreceptor neurons. RNAi of these genes prevented formation of visible optic cups during regeneration. Planarian regeneration requires an adult proliferative cell population with stem cell-like properties called the neoblasts. We found that optic cup formation occurred only after migration of progressively differentiating progenitor cells from the neoblast population. The eye regeneration defect caused by dlx and sp6-9 RNAi can be explained by a failure to generate these early optic cup progenitors. Dlx and Sp6-9 genes function as a module during the development of diverse animal appendages, including vertebrate and insect limbs. Our work reveals a novel function for this gene pair in the development of a fundamental eye component, and it utilizes these genes to demonstrate a mechanism for total organ regeneration in which extensive cell movement separates new cell specification from organ morphogenesis.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 83%

dlx and sp6-9 Control Optic Cup Regeneration in a Prototypic Eye

2011

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“…Planarians are similar to vertebrates, but differ from most other invertebrates, in the use of melanin as the primary eye shading pigment (Hase et al, 2006; Strauss, 2005). Among the most abundantly expressed genes in planarian PCs were those encoding orthologs of enzymes required for melanin synthesis in vertebrates, including Tyrosinase (Lapan and Reddien, 2011) (Figure 1D), Aromatic amino acid hydroxylase (Nishimura et al, 2007) (see “ tph ”, Figure 1D); and Dopa decarboxylase ( Smed-ddc ) (Figure 2B–C).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transcriptome Analysis of the Planarian Eye Identifies ovo as a Specific Regulator of Eye Regeneration

2012

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Summary Among the millions of invertebrate species with visual systems, the genetic basis of eye development and function is well understood only in Drosophila melanogaster. We describe an eye transcriptome for the planarian Schmidtea mediterranea. Planarian photoreceptors expressed orthologs of genes required for phototransduction and microvillus structure in Drosophila and vertebrates, and optic pigment cells expressed solute transporters and melanin synthesis enzymes similar to those active in the vertebrate retinal pigment epithelium. Orthologs of several planarian eye genes, such as bestrophin-1 and Usher syndrome genes, cause eye defects in mammals when perturbed and were not previously described to have roles in invertebrate eyes. Five previously undescribed planarian eye transcription factors were required for normal eye formation during head regeneration. In particular, a conserved, transcription factor-encoding ovo gene was expressed from the earliest stages of eye regeneration and was required for regeneration of all cell types of the eye.

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“…Like many other animals, planarians exhibit highly variable pigmentation between species (Hyman, 1951). Biochemical and genetic evidence indicate that the body pigment in Schmidtea mediterranea is composed of ommochromes and cyclic tetrapyrroles called porphyrins (Hase et al, 2006;Stubenhaus et al, 2016). Enzymes in the ommochrome and porphyrin biosynthesis pathways are expressed in a candidate pigment cell population that is highly dendritic in morphology, and RNAi knockdown of some of these genes led to white animals (Stubenhaus et al, 2016;Wang et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

FOX and ETS family transcription factors regulate the pigment cell lineage in planarians

Lindsay-Mosher

et al. 2017

Development

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Many pigment cells acquire unique structural properties and gene expression profiles during animal development. The underlying differentiation pathways have been well characterized in cells formed during embryogenesis, such as the neural crest-derived melanocyte. However, much less is known about the developmental origins of pigment cells produced in adult organisms during tissue homeostasis and repair. Here we report a lineage analysis of ommochrome- and porphyrin-producing cells in the brown, freshwater planarian Using an RNA-sequencing approach, we identified two classes of markers expressed in sequential fashion when new pigment cells are generated during regeneration or in response to pigment cell ablation. We also report roles for FOXF-1 and ETS-1 transcription factors, as well as for an FGFR-like molecule, in the specification and maintenance of this cell type. Together, our results provide insights into mechanisms of adult pigment cell development in the strikingly colorful Platyhelminthes phylum.

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Characterization of the pigment produced by the planarian, Dugesia ryukyuensis

Cited by 20 publications

References 9 publications

dlx and sp6-9 Control Optic Cup Regeneration in a Prototypic Eye

dlx and sp6-9 Control Optic Cup Regeneration in a Prototypic Eye

Transcriptome Analysis of the Planarian Eye Identifies ovo as a Specific Regulator of Eye Regeneration

FOX and ETS family transcription factors regulate the pigment cell lineage in planarians

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