A phylum-wide survey reveals multiple independent gains of head regeneration in Nemertea.

ABSTRACT: Animals vary widely in their ability to regenerate, suggesting that regenerative ability has a rich evolutionary history. However, our understanding of this history remains limited because regenerative ability has only been evaluated in a tiny fraction of species. Available comparative regeneration studies have identified losses of regenerative ability, yet clear documentation of gains is lacking. We assessed ability to regenerate heads and tails either through our own experiments or from literature reports for 35 species of Nemertea spanning the diversity of the phylum, including representatives of 10 families and all three orders. We generated a phylogenetic framework using sequence data to reconstruct the evolutionary history of head and tail regenerative ability across the phylum and f

SUBMITTER: Zattara EE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6458331 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature