Planarians possess a remarkable ability to regenerate missing body parts. This ability depends on robust pattern formation, which allows animals to re-establish tissue identities and body axes after injury. It is known that the Wnt and FGFR-like (FGFRL) pathways regulate regeneration of the planarian anteroposterior (AP) axis following injury or wounding. Now, Christian Petersen and colleagues uncover a role for Src signalling in planarian AP axis patterning. Using an RNAi screen, the authors first show that src-1 suppresses both head and trunk identity in planaria; its inhibition in regenerating animals results in the expansion of both head and trunk domains, and the formation of posterior ectopic eyes. Following on from this, they report that src-1 is broadly expressed in both muscle and non-muscle cells, and that it regulates the expression of AP patterning factors. Using double RNAi knockdowns, the researchers further report that scr-1 acts independently of Wnt and FGFRL factors, suggesting that it likely acts in parallel to these signals. Finally, they show that src-1 inhibition enhances the phenotypes caused by disruptions to known AP patterning regulators. Overall, these findings identify src-1 as a novel factor that regulates positional information and robust pattern formation in regenerating planarians.
Src signalling worms its way into patterning
Src signalling worms its way into patterning. Development 1 April 2022; 149 (7): e149_e0701. doi:
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