title: Transcriptional signatures of somatic neoblasts and germline cells inMacrostomum lignano.
abstract: The regeneration-capable flatwormMacrostomum lignanois a powerful model organism to study the biology of stem cells in vivo. As a flatworm amenable to transgenesis, it complements the historically used planarian flatworm models, such asSchmidtea mediterranea. However, information on the transcriptome and markers of stem cells inM. lignanois limited. We generated a de novo transcriptome assembly and performed the first comprehensive characterization of gene expression in the proliferating cells ofM. lignano, represented by somatic stem cells, called neoblasts, and germline cells. Knockdown of a selected set of neoblast genes, includingMlig-ddx39,Mlig-rrm1,Mlig-rpa3,Mlig-cdk1, andMlig-h2a, confirmed their crucial role for the functionality of somatic neoblasts during homeostasis and regeneration. The generatedM. lignanotranscriptome assembly and gene expression signatures of somatic neoblasts and germline cells will be a valuable resource for future molecular studies inM. lignano.
authors.affiliation: European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Magda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grudniewska
authors.affiliation: European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.|Hubrecht Institute-KNAW, Utrecht, The Netherlands.|University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Stijn
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mouton
authors.affiliation: European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.|Hubrecht Institute-KNAW, Utrecht, The Netherlands.|University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Daniil
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Simanov
authors.affiliation: European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Beltman
authors.affiliation: European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Margriet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grelling
authors.affiliation: Hubrecht Institute-KNAW, Utrecht, The Netherlands.|University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Katrien
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: de Mulder
authors.affiliation: Hubrecht Institute-KNAW, Utrecht, The Netherlands.|University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Wibowo
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Arindrarto
authors.affiliation: European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Philipp M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Weissert
authors.affiliation: Hubrecht Institute-KNAW, Utrecht, The Netherlands.|University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: van der Elst
authors.affiliation: European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.|Hubrecht Institute-KNAW, Utrecht, The Netherlands.|University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Eugene
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-1145-2884
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Berezikov
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D010986:Platyhelminths / Q000166:cytology* / Q000235:genetics*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D059467:Transcriptome
keywords: Macrostomum; developmental biology; flatworms; germline; regeneration; stem cells