Planarian EGF repeat-containing genes megf6 and hemicentin are required to restrict the stem cell compartment.
PLoS Genet
; 16(2): e1008613, 2020 02.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-32078629
The extracellular matrix (ECM) is important for maintaining the boundaries between tissues. This role is particularly critical in the stem cell niche, as pre-neoplastic or cancerous stem cells must pass these boundaries in order to invade into the surrounding tissue. Here, we examine the role of the ECM as a regulator of the stem cell compartment in the planarian Schmidtea mediterranea, a highly regenerative, long-lived organism with a large population of adult stem cells. We identify two EGF repeat-containing genes, megf6 and hemicentin, with identical knockdown phenotypes. We find that megf6 and hemicentin are needed to maintain the structure of the basal lamina, and in the absence of either gene, pluripotent stem cells migrate ectopically outside of their compartment and hyper-proliferate, causing lesions in the body wall muscle. These muscle lesions and ectopic stem cells are also associated with ectopic gut branches, which protrude from the normal gut towards the dorsal side of the animal. Interestingly, both megf6 and hemicentin knockdown worms are capable of regenerating tissue free of both muscle lesions and ectopic cells, indicating that these genes are dispensable for regeneration. These results provide insight into the role of planarian ECM in restricting the stem cell compartment, and suggest that signals within the compartment may act to suppress stem cell hyperproliferation.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Platelmintos
/
Genes de Helmintos
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Células-Tronco Pluripotentes
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Células-Tronco Adultas
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Nicho de Células-Tronco
Limite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
PLoS Genet
Assunto da revista:
GENETICA
Ano de publicação:
2020
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Canadá