Meeting Abstract

S5.8  Tuesday, Jan. 5  Stem cells, regeneration and the developmental plasticity of planarians SANCHEZ ALVARADO, A; Howard Hughes Medical School, University of Utah School of Medicine sanchez@neuro.utah.edu

It is paradoxical that for many animals (including humans), the apparent anatomical stability of their adult bodies is maintained by constant change. Under normal physiological conditions, the functions of many organs depend on the continuous destruction and renewal of their cells. Equally remarkable is the fact that the adult tissues and organs of many organisms can be fully restored after amputation. In fact, it appears that metazoans have evolved a series of renewal and repair mechanisms to respond to both trauma and normal wear and tear. Moreover, these mechanisms are under tight regulatory control such that organismal form and function can be maintained throughout life. As important as repair and restoration of tissues are to the survival of multicellular organisms, we know little about how these processes are effected and regulated at the cellular and molecular levels. Here, I will discuss how the study of a simple metazoan, the planarian Schmidtea mediterranea, is beginning to shed light on the way adult animals regulate tissue homeostasis and the replacement of body parts lost to injury.