title: Analyzing pERK Activation During Planarian Regeneration.
abstract: Planarians are an ideal model in which to study stem cell-based regeneration. After amputation, planarian pluripotent stem cells surrounding the wound proliferate to produce the regenerative blastema, in which they differentiate into the missing tissues and structures. Recent independent studies in planarians have shown that Smed-egfr-3, a gene encoding a homologue of epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptors, and DjerkA, which encodes an extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), may control cell differentiation and blastema growth. However, because these studies were carried in two different planarian species, the relationship between these two genes remains unclear. We have optimized anti-pERK immunostaining in Schmidtea mediterranea using the original protocol developed in Dugesia japonica. Both protocols are reported here as most laboratories worldwide work with one of these two species. Using this protocol we have determined that Smed-egfr-3 appears to be necessary for pERK activation during planarian regeneration.
authors.affiliation: Departament de Genètica i Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, Edifici Prevosti, Planta 1, 08028, Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain.
authors.forename: Susanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fraguas
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Life Science, University of Hyogo, Ako-gun, Hyogo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshihiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Umesono
authors.affiliation: Department of Biophysics, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Kiyokazu
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Agata
authors.affiliation: Departament de Genètica i Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, Edifici Prevosti, Planta 1, 08028, Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain. fcebrias@ub.edu.
authors.forename: Francesc
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cebrià
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D010766:Phosphorylation; D010932:Planarians / Q000502:physiology*; D034622:RNA Interference; D012038:Regeneration; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D066246:ErbB Receptors; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases
keywords: Dugesia japonica; Epidermal growth factor receptor; Immunostaining; Planarian; Schmidtea mediterranea; pERK