Redesigning a course based undergraduate research experience for online delivery.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced educators to teach in an online environment. This was particularly challenging for those teaching courses that are intended to support bench science research. This practitioner article tells the story of how an instructor transformed their Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) using the Backwards Design Method into a synchronous online course. Research objectives in this transformed course included: conducting a literature review, identifying research questions and hypotheses based on literature, and developing practical and appropriate research methodologies to test these hypotheses. We provide details on how assignments were created to walk students through the process of research study design and conclude with recommendations for the implementation of an online CURE. Recommendations made by the instructor include scaffolding the design, building opportunities for collaboration, and allowing students to fail in order to teach the value of iteration. The Backwards Design framework naturally lends itself to a scaffolded instructional approach. By identifying the learning objectives and final assessment, the learning activities can be designed to help students overcome difficult concepts by filling in the gaps with purposeful instruction and collaborative opportunities. This present course also practiced iteration through the extensive feedback offered by the instructor and opportunities for students to revise their work as their understanding deepened. Anecdotally, based on end of course reviews, students overall had a positive experience with this course. Future work will examine the efficacy of student learning in this online environment and is forthcoming.

Accelerating an integrative view of quantum biology.

Quantum biology studies span multiple disciplines including physics, engineering, and biology with the goal of understanding the quantum underpinnings of living systems. Recent findings have brought wide attention to the role of quantum mechanisms in the function and regulation of biological processes. Moreover, a number of activities have been integral in building a vibrant quantum biology community. Due to the inherent interdisciplinary nature of the field, it is a challenge for quantum biology researchers to integrate and advance findings across the physical and biological disciplines. Here we outline achievable approaches to developing a shared platform-including the establishment of standardized manipulation tools and sensors, and a common scientific lexicon. Building a shared community framework is also crucial for fostering robust interdisciplinary collaborations, enhancing knowledge sharing, and diversifying participation in quantum biology. A unified approach promises not only to deepen our understanding of biological systems at a quantum level but also to accelerate the frontiers of medical and technological innovations.

An Open Question: Is Non-Ionizing Radiation a Tool for Controlling Apoptosis-Induced Proliferation?

Non-ionizing radiation is commonly used in the clinical setting, despite its known ability to trigger oxidative stress and apoptosis, which can lead to damage and cell death. Although induction of cell death is typically considered harmful, apoptosis can also be beneficial in the right context. For example, cell death can serve as the signal for new tissue growth, such as in apoptosis-induced proliferation. Recent data has shown that exposure to non-ionizing radiation (such as weak static magnetic fields, weak radiofrequency magnetic fields, and weak electromagnetic fields) is able to modulate proliferation, both in cell culture and in living organisms (for example during tissue regeneration). This occurs via in vivo changes in the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are canonical activators of apoptosis. This review will describe the literature that highlights the tantalizing possibility that non-ionizing radiation could be used to manipulate apoptosis-induced proliferation to either promote growth (for regenerative medicine) or inhibit it (for cancer therapies). However, as uncontrolled growth can lead to tumorigenesis, much more research into this exciting and developing area is needed in order to realize its promise.

Weak magnetic fields alter stem cell-mediated growth.

Biological systems are constantly exposed to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) in the form of natural geomagnetic fields and EMFs emitted from technology. While strong magnetic fields are known to change chemical reaction rates and free radical concentrations, the debate remains about whether static weak magnetic fields (WMFs; <1 mT) also produce biological effects. Using the planarian regeneration model, we show that WMFs altered stem cell proliferation and subsequent differentiation via changes in reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and downstream heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) expression. These data reveal that on the basis of field strength, WMF exposure can increase or decrease new tissue formation in vivo, suggesting WMFs as a potential therapeutic tool to manipulate mitotic activity.

Staying in shape: Planarians as a model for understanding regenerative morphology.

A key requirement of tissue/organ regeneration is the ability to induce appropriate shape in situ. Regenerated structures need to be integrated with pre-existing ones, through the combined regulation of new tissue growth and the scaling of surrounding tissues. This requires a tightly coordinated control of individual cell functions such as proliferation and stem cell differentiation. While great strides have been made in elucidating cell growth and differentiation mechanisms, how overall shape is generated during regeneration remains unknown. This is because a significant gap remains in our understanding of how cell behaviors are coordinated at the level of tissues and organs. The highly regenerative planarian flatworm has emerged as an important model for defining and understanding regenerative shape mechanisms. This review provides an overview of the main processes known to regulate tissue and animal shape during planarian regeneration: adult stem cell regulation, the reestablishment of body axes, tissue remodeling in pre-existing structures, organ scaling and the maintenance of body proportion, and the bioelectrical regulation of animal morphology. In order for the field to move forward, it will be necessary to identify shape mutants as a means to uncover the molecular mechanisms that synchronize all these separate processes to produce the worm's final regenerative shape. This knowledge will also aid efforts to define the mechanisms that control the termination of regenerative processes.

Methylisothiazolinone toxicity and inhibition of wound healing and regeneration in planaria.

Methylisothiazolinone (MIT) is a common biocide used in cosmetic and industrial settings. Studies have demonstrated that MIT is a human sensitizer, to the extent that in 2013 MIT was named allergen of the year. Recently, we showed that MIT exposure in Xenopus laevis (the African clawed frog) inhibits wound healing and tail regeneration. However, it is unknown whether MIT affects these processes in other animals. Here, we investigated the effects of MIT exposure in planaria-non-parasitic freshwater flatworms able to regenerate all tissues after injury. Using a common research strain of Dugesia japonica, we determined that intact planarians exposed to 15µM MIT displayed both neuromuscular and epithelial-integrity defects. Furthermore, regenerating (head and tail) fragments exposed to 15µM MIT failed to close wounds or had significantly delayed wound healing. Planarian wounds normally close within 1h after injury. However, most MIT-exposed animals retained open wounds at 24h and subsequently died, and those few animals that were able to undergo delayed wound healing without dying exhibited abnormal regeneration. For instance, head regeneration was severely delayed or inhibited, with anterior structures such as eyes failing to form in newly produced tissues. These data suggest that MIT directly affects both wound healing and regeneration in planarians. Next, we investigated the ability of thiol-containing antioxidants to rescue planarian wound closure during MIT exposure. The data reveal both n-acetyl cysteine and glutathione were each able to fully rescue MIT inhibition of wound healing. Lastly, we established MIT toxicity levels by determining the LC50 of 5 different planarian species: D. japonica, Schmidtea mediterranea, Girardia tigrina, Girardia dorotocephala, and Phagocata gracilis. Our LC50 data revealed that concentrations as low as 39µM (4.5ppm) are lethal to planarians, with concentrations of just 5µM inhibiting wound healing, and suggest that phylogeny is predictive of species toxicity levels. Together these results indicate MIT may have broad wound healing effects on aquatic species in general and are not limited to X. laevis alone. Future studies should investigate the impact of MIT on wound healing in other organisms, including non-aquatic organisms and mammals.

The planarian TRPA1 homolog mediates extraocular behavioral responses to near-ultraviolet light.

Although light is most commonly thought of as a visual cue, many animals possess mechanisms to detect light outside of the eye for various functions, including predator avoidance, circadian rhythms, phototaxis and migration. Here we confirm that planarians (like Caenorhabditis elegans, leeches and Drosophila larvae) are capable of detecting and responding to light using extraocular photoreception. We found that, when either eyeless or decapitated worms were exposed to near-ultraviolet (near-UV) light, intense wild-type photophobic behaviors were still observed. Our data also revealed that behavioral responses to green wavelengths were mediated by ocular mechanisms, whereas near-UV responses were driven by extraocular mechanisms. As part of a candidate screen to uncover the genetic basis of extraocular photoreception in the planarian species Schmidtea mediterranea, we identified a potential role for a homolog of the transient receptor potential channel A1 (TRPA1) in mediating behavioral responses to extraocular light cues. RNA interference (RNAi) to Smed-TrpA resulted in worms that lacked extraocular photophobic responses to near-UV light, a mechanism previously only identified in Drosophila These data show that the planarian TRPA1 homolog is required for planarian extraocular-light avoidance and may represent a potential ancestral function of this gene. TRPA1 is an evolutionarily conserved detector of temperature and chemical irritants, including reactive oxygen species that are byproducts of UV-light exposure. Our results suggest that planarians possess extraocular photoreception and display an unconventional TRPA1-mediated photophobic response to near-UV light.

Surgical Ablation Assay for Studying Eye Regeneration in Planarians.

In the study of adult stem cells and regenerative mechanisms, planarian flatworms are a staple in vivo model system. This is due in large part to their abundant pluripotent stem cell population and ability to regenerate all cell and tissue types after injuries that would be catastrophic for most animals. Recently, planarians have gained popularity as a model for eye regeneration. Their ability to regenerate the entire eye (comprised of two tissue types: pigment cells and photoreceptors) allows for the dissection of the mechanisms regulating visual system regeneration. Eye ablation has several advantages over other techniques (such as decapitation or hole punch) for examining eye-specific pathways and mechanisms, the most important of which is that regeneration is largely restricted to eye tissues alone. The purpose of this video article is to demonstrate how to reliably remove the planarian optic cup without disturbing the brain or surrounding tissues. The handling of worms and maintenance of an established colony is also described. This technique uses a 31 G, 5/16-inch insulin needle to surgically scoop out the optic cup of planarians immobilized on a cold plate. This method encompasses both single and double eye ablation, with eyes regenerating within 1-2 weeks, allowing for a wide range of applications. In particular, this ablation technique can be easily combined with pharmacological and genetic (RNA interference) screens for a better understanding of regenerative mechanisms and their evolution, eye stem cells and their maintenance, and phototaxic behavioral responses and their neurological basis.

Temporal regulation of planarian eye regeneration.

While tissue regeneration is typically studied using standard injury models, in nature injuries vary greatly in the amount and location of tissues lost. Planarians have the unique ability to regenerate from many different injuries (including from tiny fragments with no brain), allowing us to study the effects of different injuries on regeneration timelines. We followed the timing of regeneration for one organ, the eye, after multiple injury types that involved tissue loss (single- and double-eye ablation, and decapitation) in Schmidtea mediterranea. Our data reveal that the timing of regeneration remained constant despite changing injury parameters. Optic tissue regrowth, nerve re-innervation, and functional recovery were similar between injury types (even when the animal was simultaneously regrowing its brain). Changes in metabolic rate (i.e., starving vs. fed regenerates) also had no effect on regeneration timelines. In addition, our data suggest there may exist a role for optic nerve degeneration following eye ablation. Our results suggest that the temporal regulation of planarian eye regeneration is tightly controlled and resistant to variations in injury type.

H(+)/K(+) ATPase activity is required for biomineralization in sea urchin embryos.

The bioelectrical signatures associated with regeneration, wound healing, development, and cancer are changes in the polarization state of the cell that persist over long durations, and are mediated by ion channel activity. To identify physiologically relevant bioelectrical changes that occur during normal development of the sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus, we tested a range of ion channel inhibitors, and thereby identified SCH28080, a chemical inhibitor of the H(+)/K(+) ATPase (HKA), as an inhibitor of skeletogenesis. In sea urchin embryos, the primary mesodermal lineage, the PMCs, produce biomineral in response to signals from the ectoderm. However, in SCH28080-treated embryos, aside from randomization of the left-right axis, the ectoderm is normally specified and differentiated, indicating that the block to skeletogenesis observed in SCH28080-treated embryos is PMC-specific. HKA inhibition did not interfere with PMC specification, and was sufficient to block continuing biomineralization when embryos were treated with SCH28080 after the initiation of skeletogenesis, indicating that HKA activity is continuously required during biomineralization. Ion concentrations and voltage potential were abnormal in the PMCs in SCH28080-treated embryos, suggesting that these bioelectrical abnormalities prevent biomineralization. Our results indicate that this effect is due to the inhibition of amorphous calcium carbonate precipitation within PMC vesicles.

Planarian Phototactic Assay Reveals Differential Behavioral Responses Based on Wavelength.

Planarians are free-living aquatic flatworms that possess a well-documented photophobic response to light. With a true central nervous system and simple cerebral eyes (ocelli), planarians are an emerging model for regenerative eye research. However, comparatively little is known about the physiology of their photoreception or how their behavior is affected by various wavelengths. Most phototactic studies have examined planarian behavior using white light. Here, we describe a novel planarian behavioral assay to test responses to small ranges of visible wavelengths (red, blue, green), as well as ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) which have not previously been examined. Our data show that planarians display behavioral responses across a range of wavelengths. These responses occur in a hierarchy, with the shortest wavelengths (UV) causing the most intense photophobic responses while longer wavelengths produce no effect (red) or an apparent attraction (IR). In addition, our data reveals that planarian photophobia is comprised of both a general photophobic response (that drives planarians to escape the light source regardless of wavelength) and wavelength-specific responses that encompass specific behavioral reactions to individual wavelengths. Our results serve to improve the understanding of planarian phototaxis and suggest that behavioral studies performed with white light mask a complex behavioral interaction with the environment.

Modeling planarian regeneration: a primer for reverse-engineering the worm.

A mechanistic understanding of robust self-assembly and repair capabilities of complex systems would have enormous implications for basic evolutionary developmental biology as well as for transformative applications in regenerative biomedicine and the engineering of highly fault-tolerant cybernetic systems. Molecular biologists are working to identify the pathways underlying the remarkable regenerative abilities of model species that perfectly regenerate limbs, brains, and other complex body parts. However, a profound disconnect remains between the deluge of high-resolution genetic and protein data on pathways required for regeneration, and the desired spatial, algorithmic models that show how self-monitoring and growth control arise from the synthesis of cellular activities. This barrier to progress in the understanding of morphogenetic controls may be breached by powerful techniques from the computational sciences-using non-traditional modeling approaches to reverse-engineer systems such as planaria: flatworms with a complex bodyplan and nervous system that are able to regenerate any body part after traumatic injury. Currently, the involvement of experts from outside of molecular genetics is hampered by the specialist literature of molecular developmental biology: impactful collaborations across such different fields require that review literature be available that presents the key functional capabilities of important biological model systems while abstracting away from the often irrelevant and confusing details of specific genes and proteins. To facilitate modeling efforts by computer scientists, physicists, engineers, and mathematicians, we present a different kind of review of planarian regeneration. Focusing on the main patterning properties of this system, we review what is known about the signal exchanges that occur during regenerative repair in planaria and the cellular mechanisms that are thought to underlie them. By establishing an engineering-like style for reviews of the molecular developmental biology of biomedically important model systems, significant fresh insights and quantitative computational models will be developed by new collaborations between biology and the information sciences.

Inhibition of planar cell polarity extends neural growth during regeneration, homeostasis, and development.

The ability to stop producing or replacing cells at the appropriate time is essential, as uncontrolled growth can lead to loss of function and even cancer. Tightly regulated mechanisms coordinate the growth of stem cell progeny with the patterning needs of the host organism. Despite the importance of proper termination during regeneration, cell turnover, and embryonic development, very little is known about how tissues determine when patterning is complete during these processes. Using planarian flatworms, we show that the planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway is required to stop the growth of neural tissue. Although traditionally studied as regulators of tissue polarity, we found that loss of the PCP genes Vangl2, DAAM1, and ROCK by RNA interference (individually or together) resulted in supernumerary eyes and excess optical neurons in intact planarians, while regenerating planarians had continued hyperplasia throughout the nervous system long after controls ceased new growth. This failure to terminate growth suggests that neural tissues use PCP as a readout of patterning, highlighting a potential role for intact PCP as a signal to stem and progenitor cells to halt neuronal growth when patterning is finished. Moreover, we found this mechanism to be conserved in vertebrates. Loss of Vangl2 during normal development, as well as during Xenopus tadpole tail regeneration, also leads to the production of excess neural tissue. This evolutionarily conserved function of PCP represents a tractable new approach for controlling the growth of nerves.

A chemical genetics approach reveals H,K-ATPase-mediated membrane voltage is required for planarian head regeneration.

Biophysical signaling is required for both embryonic polarity and regenerative outgrowth. Exploiting endogenous ion transport for regenerative therapies will require direct regulation of membrane voltage. Here, we develop a pharmacological method to target ion transporters, uncovering a role for membrane voltage as a key regulator of anterior polarity in regenerating planaria. Utilizing the highly specific inhibitor, SCH-28080, our data reveal that H(+),K(+)-ATPase-mediated membrane depolarization is essential for anterior gene expression and brain induction. H(+),K(+)-ATPase-independent manipulation of membrane potential with ivermectin confirms that depolarization drives head formation, even at posterior-facing wounds. Using this chemical genetics approach, we demonstrate that membrane voltage controls head-versus-tail identity during planarian regeneration. Our data suggest well-characterized drugs (already approved for human use) might be exploited to control adult stem cell-driven pattern formation during the regeneration of complex structures.

Induction of vertebrate regeneration by a transient sodium current.

Amphibians such as frogs can restore lost organs during development, including the lens and tail. To design biomedical therapies for organ repair, it is necessary to develop a detailed understanding of natural regeneration. Recently, ion transport has been implicated as a functional regulator of regeneration. Whereas voltage-gated sodium channels play a well known and important role in propagating action potentials in excitable cells, we have identified a novel role in regeneration for the ion transport function mediated by the voltage-gated sodium channel, Na(V)1.2. A local, early increase in intracellular sodium is required for initiating regeneration following Xenopus laevis tail amputation, and molecular and pharmacological inhibition of sodium transport causes regenerative failure. Na(V)1.2 is absent under nonregenerative conditions, but misexpression of human Na(V)1.5 can rescue regeneration during these states. Remarkably, pharmacological induction of a transient sodium current is capable of restoring regeneration even after the formation of a nonregenerative wound epithelium, confirming that it is the regulation of sodium transport that is critical for regeneration. Our studies reveal a previously undetected competency window in which cells retain their intrinsic regenerative program, identify a novel endogenous role for Na(V) in regeneration, and show that modulation of sodium transport represents an exciting new approach to organ repair.

Regeneration: The origin of cancer or a possible cure?

A better understanding of the forces controlling cell growth will be essential for developing effective therapies in regenerative medicine and cancer. Historically, the literature has linked cancer and tissue regeneration-proposing regeneration as both the source of cancer and a method to inhibit tumorigenesis. This review discusses two powerful regeneration models, the vertebrate urodele amphibians and invertebrate planarians, in light of cancer regulation. Urodele limb and eye lens regeneration is described, as well as the planarian's emergence as a molecular and genetic model system in which recent insights begin to molecularly dissect cancer and regeneration in adult tissues.

Lineage-specific expansions provide genomic complexity among sea urchin GTPases.

In every organism, GTP-binding proteins control many aspects of cell signaling. Here, we examine in silico several GTPase families from the Strongylocentrotus purpuratus genome: the monomeric Ras superfamily, the heterotrimeric G proteins, the dynamin superfamily, the SRP/SR family, and the "protein biosynthesis" translational GTPases. Identified were 174 GTPases, of which over 90% are expressed in the embryo as shown by tiling array and expressed sequence tag data. Phylogenomic comparisons restricted to Drosophila, Ciona, and humans (protostomes, urochordates, and vertebrates, respectively) revealed both common and unique elements in the expected composition of these families. Galpha and dynamin families contain vertebrate expansions, consistent with whole genome duplications, whereas SRP/SR and translational GTPases are highly conserved. Unexpectedly, Ras superfamily analyses revealed several large (5+) lineage-specific expansions in the sea urchin. For Rho, Rab, Arf, and Ras subfamilies, comparing total human gene numbers to the number of sea urchin genes with vertebrate orthologs suggests reduced genomic complexity in the sea urchin. However, gene duplications in the sea urchin increase overall numbers such that total sea urchin gene numbers approximate vertebrate gene numbers for each monomeric GTPase family. These findings suggest that lineage-specific expansions may be an important component of genomic evolution in signal transduction.

The sea urchin kinome: a first look.

This paper reports a preliminary in silico analysis of the sea urchin kinome. The predicted protein kinases in the sea urchin genome were identified, annotated and classified, according to both function and kinase domain taxonomy. The results show that the sea urchin kinome, consisting of 353 protein kinases, is closer to the Drosophila kinome (239) than the human kinome (518) with respect to total kinase number. However, the diversity of sea urchin kinases is surprisingly similar to humans, since the urchin kinome is missing only 4 of 186 human subfamilies, while Drosophila lacks 24. Thus, the sea urchin kinome combines the simplicity of a non-duplicated genome with the diversity of function and signaling previously considered to be vertebrate-specific. More than half of the sea urchin kinases are involved with signal transduction, and approximately 88% of the signaling kinases are expressed in the developing embryo. These results support the strength of this nonchordate deuterostome as a pivotal developmental and evolutionary model organism.

Translational control genes in the sea urchin genome.

Sea urchin eggs and early cleavage stage embryos provide an example of regulated gene expression at the level of translation. The availability of the sea urchin genome offers the opportunity to investigate the "translational control" toolkit of this model system. The annotation of the genome reveals that most of the factors implicated in translational control are encoded by nonredundant genes in echinoderm, an advantage for future functional studies. In this paper, we focus on translation factors that have been shown or suggested to play crucial role in cell cycle and development of sea urchin embryos. Addressing the cap-binding translational control, three closely related eIF4E genes (class I, II, III) are present, whereas its repressor 4E-BP and its activator eIF4G are both encoded by one gene. Analysis of the class III eIF4E proteins in various phyla shows an echinoderm-specific amino acid substitution. Furthermore, an interaction site between eIF4G and poly(A)-binding protein is uncovered in the sea urchin eIF4G proteins and is conserved in metazoan evolution. In silico screening of the sea urchin genome has uncovered potential new regulators of eIF4E sharing the common eIF4E recognition motif. Taking together, these data provide new insights regarding the strong requirement of cap-dependent translation following fertilization. The genome analysis gives insights on the complexity of eEF1B structure and motifs of functional relevance, involved in the translational control of gene expression at the level of elongation. Finally, because deregulation of translation process can lead to diseases and tumor formation in humans, the sea urchin orthologs of human genes implicated in human diseases and signaling pathways regulating translation were also discussed.