The Bacterial Metabolite Indole Inhibits Regeneration of the Planarian Flatworm Dugesia japonica.

ABSTRACT: Planarian flatworms have been used for over a century as models for regeneration. Planarians live in aquatic environments with constant exposure to microbes, but the mechanisms by which bacteria may mediate planarian regeneration are largely unknown. We characterized the microbiome of laboratory populations of the planarian Dugesia japonica and determined how individual bacteria impact D. japonica regeneration. Eight to ten taxa in the phyla Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria consistently occur across planarian colonies housed in different research laboratories. Individual members of the D. japonica microbiome can delay regeneration including the development of eye spots and blastema formation. The microbial metabolite indole is produced in significant quantities by two bacteria that are con

SUBMITTER: Lee FJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6280633 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature