1. ERK signaling controls blastema cell differentiation during planarian regeneration
- Author
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Yoshimichi Tabata, Nobuko Suzuki, Fuyan Son, Yoshihiko Umesono, Junichi Tasaki, Ryoko Araki, Norito Shibata, Osamu Nishimura, Masumi Abe, Kazu Itomi, and Kiyokazu Agata
- Subjects
MAPK/ERK pathway ,education.field_of_study ,biology ,MAP Kinase Signaling System ,Stem Cells ,Regeneration (biology) ,Cellular differentiation ,fungi ,Population ,Cell Differentiation ,Planarians ,biology.organism_classification ,Cell biology ,body regions ,Planarian ,Animals ,Regeneration ,Dugesia japonica ,Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases ,education ,Molecular Biology ,Blastema ,Developmental Biology ,Adult stem cell - Abstract
The robust regenerative ability of planarians depends on a population of somatic stem cells called neoblasts, which are the only mitotic cells in adults and are responsible for blastema formation after amputation. The molecular mechanism underlying neoblast differentiation associated with blastema formation remains unknown. Here, using the planarian Dugesia japonica we found that DjmkpA, a planarian mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphatase-related gene, was specifically expressed in blastema cells in response to increased extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK) activity. Pharmacological and genetic [RNA interference (RNAi)] approaches provided evidence that ERK activity was required for blastema cells to exit the proliferative state and undergo differentiation. By contrast, DjmkpA RNAi induced an increased level of ERK activity and rescued the differentiation defect of blastema cells caused by pharmacological reduction of ERK activity. These observations suggest that ERK signaling plays an instructive role in the cell fate decisions of blastema cells regarding whether to differentiate or not, by inducing DjmkpA as a negative regulator of ERK signaling during planarian regeneration.
- Published
- 2011
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