A Simple Method for Quantifying Blastema Growth in Regenerating Planarians.

ABSTRACT: Due to their strong regenerative capabilities, freshwater planarians are a well-suited model system for studying the effects of chemicals on stem cell biology and regeneration. After amputation, a planarian will regenerate the missing body parts within 1 to 2 weeks. Because planarians have a distinct head morphology that can be easily identified, head and eye regeneration has been a popular qualitative measure of toxicity. However, qualitative measures can only detect strong defects. Here, we present protocols for quantifying the rate of blastema growth to measure regeneration defects for assessment of chemical toxicity. Following amputation, a regenerative blastema forms at the wound site. Over the course of several days, the blastema grows and subsequently re-forms the missing anatomical

SUBMITTER: Campillo N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10558012 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature