Clonogenic Neoblasts Are Pluripotent Adult Stem Cells That Underlie Planarian Regeneration

Pluripotent cells in the embryo can generate all cell types, but lineage-restricted cells are generally thought to replenish adult tissues. Planarians are flatworms and regenerate from tiny body fragments, a process requiring a population of proliferating cells (neoblasts). Whether regeneration is a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2011-05, Vol.332 (6031), p.811-816
Main Authors: Wagner, Daniel E., Wang, Irving E., Reddien, Peter W.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult stem cells
Adult Stem Cells - cytology
Adult Stem Cells - physiology
Adult Stem Cells - transplantation
Adults
Animals
Base Sequence
Biochemistry. Physiology. Immunology. Molecular biology
Biological and medical sciences
Biomedical materials
Cell Differentiation
Cell growth
Cell Lineage
Cell Proliferation
Cell Separation
Cells
Cellular differentiation
Clone Cells - cytology
Clone Cells - physiology
Embryonic stem cells
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Genes, Helminth
Genotype
In vivo testing
In vivo tests
Insect colonies
Intestines - cytology
Invertebrates
Ionizing radiation
Irradiation
Molecular Sequence Data
Nemathelminthia. Plathelmintha
Neurons - cytology
Photoreceptors
Physiology. Development
Planarians - cytology
Planarians - genetics
Planarians - physiology
Planarians - radiation effects
Pluripotent stem cells
Pluripotent Stem Cells - cytology
Pluripotent Stem Cells - physiology
Pluripotent Stem Cells - transplantation
Regeneration
Stem cells
Surgical implants
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Summary:Pluripotent cells in the embryo can generate all cell types, but lineage-restricted cells are generally thought to replenish adult tissues. Planarians are flatworms and regenerate from tiny body fragments, a process requiring a population of proliferating cells (neoblasts). Whether regeneration is accomplished by pluripotent cells or by the collective activity of multiple lineage-restricted cell types is unknown. We used ionizing radiation and single-cell transplantation to identify neoblasts that can form large descendant-cell colonies in vivo. These clonogenic neoblasts (cNeoblasts) produce cells that differentiate into neuronal, intestinal, and other known postmitotic cell types and are distributed throughout the body. Single transplanted cNeoblasts restored regeneration in lethally irradiated hosts. We conclude that broadly distributed, adult pluripotent stem cells underlie the remarkable regenerative abilities of planarians.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.1203983