The planarian Schmidtea mediterranea as a model for studying motile cilia and multiciliated cells

Basquin, Cyril; Orfila, Anne-Marie; Azimzadeh, Juliette

doi:10.1016/bs.mcb.2015.01.009

Cited by 18 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…They can also be seen composing the protonephridia, a type of fluid excretory system formed by tubules that act by osmoregulation ending at the surface of the planarian. This system is composed by a set of cells called flame cells (Basquin, et al, 2015). The planarian protonephridia is currently considered a model for the study of renal diseases due to the similarities it presents with mammalian nephrons (Issigonis and Newmark, 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physiological evaluation of the behavior and epidermis of freshwater planarians (Girardia tigrina and Girardia sp.) exposed to stressors

et al. 2018

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Planarians are metazoan freshwater flatworms which are free-living organisms. Their body has pluripotent stem cell promoters of tissue regeneration capacity. The water temperature and the potential of hydrogen (pH) of lentic ecosystems are important factors involved in the distribution and abundance of these animals. Although the pH factor is directly related to the physiology and behavior of planarians, their adaptive and regenerating capacities still remain unknown. The Critical Thermal Maximum (CTM) is a very widespread method used in the evaluation of thermal tolerance. In this study, Girardia tigrina (Girard, 1850) and Girardia sp., a species found in Brazil, which is under study as a new species, had their epidermis assessed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to analyze their physiological structures before and after exposure to different stressors. SEM was used as a method to evaluate the planarians' epidermis as a result of the increasing temperature (CTM) and pH alterations, the latter with the use of a new methodology defined as Critical Hydrogen ion concentration Maximum (CHM). In increasing temperatures from 20°C to 37°C, both Girardia tigrina and Girardia sp. proved to be adaptable to thermal stress. Girardia sp. was shown to be more resistant to higher temperatures. However, Girardia tigrina was more resistant to extreme pH conditions (4.0 to 10.0). SEM analysis showed morphological differences among planarian species, such as the arrangement of the structures and cell types of the dorsal epidermis. Moreover, planarians demonstrated the ability to change the surrounding pH of their external environment in order to maintain the function of their physiological mechanisms, suggesting that these animals have a complex survival system, possibly related to protonephridia, flame cells and excretory pores..

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physiological evaluation of the behavior and epidermis of freshwater planarians (Girardia tigrina and Girardia sp.) exposed to stressors

et al. 2018

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“…Within this group, MCCs are particularly well described in mollusks and flatworms (Gibbons 1961;Rieger 1981;Reed et al 1984;Basquin et al 2015). In flatworms, epidermal MCCs are required for locomotion, either by ciliary gliding along solid substrates or swimming through water (Rompolas et al 2013;Basquin et al 2015). MCCs are also present in protonephridia, the branched tubules that form the excretory system of flatworms and other Lophotrochozoa (Rink et al 2011;Thi-Kim Vu et al 2015).…”

Section: Multiciliated Epithelia Across Animalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Outside of vertebrates, MCCs with similar ultrastructural features, in particular BBs decorated by a basal foot, are found within a group of protostome animals called Lophotrochozoa. Within this group, MCCs are particularly well described in mollusks and flatworms (Gibbons 1961;Rieger 1981;Reed et al 1984;Basquin et al 2015). In flatworms, epidermal MCCs are required for locomotion, either by ciliary gliding along solid substrates or swimming through water (Rompolas et al 2013;Basquin et al 2015).…”

Section: Multiciliated Epithelia Across Animalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiciliated Cells in Animals

Meunier¹,

Azimzadeh²

2016

Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol

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Many animal cells assemble single cilia involved in motile and/or sensory functions. In contrast, multiciliated cells (MCCs) assemble up to 300 motile cilia that beat in a coordinate fashion to generate a directional fluid flow. In the human airways, the brain, and the oviduct, MCCs allow mucus clearance, cerebrospinal fluid circulation, and egg transportation, respectively. Impairment of MCC function leads to chronic respiratory infections and increased risks of hydrocephalus and female infertility. MCC differentiation during development or repair involves the activation of a regulatory cascade triggered by the inhibition of Notch activity in MCC progenitors. The downstream events include the simultaneous assembly of a large number of basal bodies (BBs)-from which cilia are nucleated-in the cytoplasm of the differentiating MCCs, their migration and docking at the plasma membrane associated to an important remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton, and the assembly and polarization of motile cilia. The direction of ciliary beating is coordinated both within cells and at the tissue level by a combination of planar polarity cues affecting BB position and hydrodynamic forces that are both generated and sensed by the cilia. Herein, we review the mechanisms controlling the specification and differentiation of MCCs and BB assembly and organization at the apical surface, as well as ciliary assembly and coordination in MCCs.

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“…The ventral epidermis is composed of multiciliated cells (MCCs) very similar to those lining the respiratory tract, the ependyma, and the oviducts in vertebrates. In particular, basal bodies (BBs) in vertebrate and planarian MCCs are decorated by similar appendages (see below) [ 5 , 18 ]. Other aspects of MCC differentiation, such as the involvement of the planar cell polarity pathway in controlling BB docking at the plasma membrane are also conserved between these systems, which suggests a common evolutionary origin of MCCs in bilaterian animals [ 2 , 7 ].…”

Section: The Organismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Basal bodies across eukaryotes series: basal bodies in the freshwater planarian Schmidtea mediterranea

Azimzadeh

Basquin

2016

Cilia

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The freshwater planarian Schmidtea mediterranea has recently emerged as a valuable model system to study basal bodies (BBs) and cilia. Planarians are free-living flatworms that use cilia beating at the surface of their ventral epidermis for gliding along substrates. The ventral epidermis is composed of multiciliated cells (MCCs) that are similar to the MCCs in the respiratory airways, the brain ventricles, and the oviducts in vertebrates. In the planarian epidermis, each cell assembles approximately eighty cilia that beat in a coordinate fashion across the tissue. The BBs that nucleate these cilia all assemble de novo during terminal differentiation of MCCs. The genome of the planarian S. mediterranea has been sequenced and efficient methods for targeting gene expression by RNA interference are available. Defects induced by perturbing the expression of BB proteins can be detected simply by analyzing the locomotion of planarians. BBs are present in large numbers and in predictable orientation, which greatly facilitates analyses by immunofluorescence and electron microscopy. The great ease in targeting gene expression and analyzing associated defects allowed to identify a set of proteins required for BB assembly and function in planarian MCCs. Future technological developments, including methods for transgenic expression in planarians and in related species, will achieve turning free-living flatworms into powerful model systems to study MCCs and the associated human pathologies.

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The planarian Schmidtea mediterranea as a model for studying motile cilia and multiciliated cells

Cited by 18 publications

References 23 publications

Physiological evaluation of the behavior and epidermis of freshwater planarians (Girardia tigrina and Girardia sp.) exposed to stressors

Physiological evaluation of the behavior and epidermis of freshwater planarians (Girardia tigrina and Girardia sp.) exposed to stressors

Multiciliated Cells in Animals

Basal bodies across eukaryotes series: basal bodies in the freshwater planarian Schmidtea mediterranea

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