A Novel Flatworm-specific Gene Implicated in Reproduction in Macrostomum Lignano

Overview

Journal Sci Rep

Specialty Science

Date 2018 Feb 18

PMID 29453392

Citations 12

Authors

Magda Grudniewska

Stijn Mouton

Margriet Grelling

Anouk H G Wolters

Jeroen Kuipers

Ben N G Giepmans

Eugene Berezikov

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Free-living flatworms, such as the planarian Schmidtea mediterranea, are extensively used as model organisms to study stem cells and regeneration. The majority of flatworm studies so far focused on broadly conserved genes. However, investigating what makes these animals different is equally informative for understanding its biology and might have biomedical value. We re-analyzed the neoblast and germline transcriptional signatures of the flatworm M. lignano using an improved transcriptome assembly and show that germline-enriched genes have a high fraction of flatworm-specific genes. We further identified the Mlig-sperm1 gene as a member of a novel gene family conserved only in free-living flatworms and essential for producing healthy spermatozoa. In addition, we established a whole-animal electron microscopy atlas (nanotomy) to visualize the ultrastructure of the testes in wild type worms, but also as a reference platform for different ultrastructural studies in M. lignano. This work demonstrates that investigation of flatworm-specific genes is crucial for understanding flatworm biology and establishes a basis for such future research in M. lignano.

Citing Articles

Optimized protocols for RNA interference in Macrostomum lignano.

Mouton S, Mougel A, Ustyantsev K, Dissous C, Melnyk O, Berezikov E G3 (Bethesda). 2024; 14(5).

PMID: 38421640 PMC: 11075559. DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkae037.

Genome assemblies of the simultaneously hermaphroditic flatworms Macrostomum cliftonense and Macrostomum hystrix.

Wiberg R, Brand J, Viktorin G, Mitchell J, Beisel C, Scharer L G3 (Bethesda). 2023; 13(9).

PMID: 37398989 PMC: 10468722. DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkad149.

Gene Is Required for Spermatogenesis in the Flatworm .

Biryukov M, Dmitrieva A, Vavilova V, Ustyantsev K, Bazarova E, Sukhikh I Int J Mol Sci. 2022; 23(23).

PMID: 36499445 PMC: 9740662. DOI: 10.3390/ijms232315110.

Mating strategy predicts gene presence/absence patterns in a genus of simultaneously hermaphroditic flatworms.

Wiberg R, Viktorin G, Scharer L Evolution. 2022; 76(12):3054-3066.

PMID: 36199200 PMC: 10092323. DOI: 10.1111/evo.14635.

Random Integration Transgenesis in a Free-Living Regenerative Flatworm Macrostomum lignano.

Wudarski J, Ustyantsev K, Reinoite F, Berezikov E Methods Mol Biol. 2022; 2450:493-508.

PMID: 35359325 PMC: 9761508. DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2172-1_26.

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