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Published Online December 6, 2007
Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1149943

Reports

Submitted on August 30, 2007
Accepted on November 27, 2007

Smed-{beta}catenin-1 Is Required for Anteroposterior Blastema Polarity in Planarian Regeneration

Christian P. Petersen 1 and Peter W. Reddien 2*

1 Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, 9 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.
2 Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, 9 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.; Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Peter W. Reddien , E-mail: reddien{at}wi.mit.edu

Planarian flatworms can regenerate heads at anterior-facing wounds and tails at posterior-facing wounds throughout the body. How this regeneration polarity is specified has been a classic problem for over a century. We identified a planarian gene, Smed-{beta}catenin-1, that controls regeneration polarity. Posterior-facing blastemas regenerate a head instead of a tail in Smed-{beta}catenin-1(RNAi) animals. Smed-{beta}catenin-1 is required after wounding and at any posterior-facing wound for polarity. Additionally, intact Smed-{beta}catenin-1(RNAi) animals display anteriorization during tissue turnover. Five Wnt genes and a secreted Frizzled-related Wnt antagonist-like gene are expressed in domains along the anteroposterior axis that reset to new positions during regeneration, suggesting Wnts control polarity through Smed-{beta}catenin-1. Our data suggest {beta}-catenin specifies the posterior character of the anteroposterior axis throughout the Bilateria and specifies regeneration polarity in planarians.



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