Regenerative Adaptation to Electrochemical Perturbation in Planaria: A Molecular Analysis of Physiological Plasticity
Maya Emmons-Bell,
Fallon Durant,
Angela Tung,
Alexis Pietak,
Kelsie Miller,
Anna Kane,
Christopher J. Martyniuk,
Devon Davidian,
Junji Morokuma,
Michael Levin
Affiliations
Maya Emmons-Bell
Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA; Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
Fallon Durant
Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA; Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
Angela Tung
Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA; Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
Alexis Pietak
Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
Kelsie Miller
Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
Anna Kane
Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
Christopher J. Martyniuk
Department of Physiological Sciences and Center for Environmental and Human Toxicology, University of Florida Genetics Institute, Interdisciplinary Program in Biomedical Sciences Neuroscience, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
Devon Davidian
Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA; Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
Junji Morokuma
Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA; Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
Michael Levin
Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA; Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA; Corresponding author
Summary: Anatomical homeostasis results from dynamic interactions between gene expression, physiology, and the external environment. Owing to its complexity, this cellular and organism-level phenotypic plasticity is still poorly understood. We establish planarian regeneration as a model for acquired tolerance to environments that alter endogenous physiology. Exposure to barium chloride (BaCl2) results in a rapid degeneration of anterior tissue in Dugesia japonica. Remarkably, continued exposure to fresh solution of BaCl2 results in regeneration of heads that are insensitive to BaCl2. RNA-seq revealed transcriptional changes in BaCl2-adapted heads that suggests a model of adaptation to excitotoxicity. Loss-of-function experiments confirmed several predictions: blockage of chloride and calcium channels allowed heads to survive initial BaCl2 exposure, inducing adaptation without prior exposure, whereas blockade of TRPM channels reversed adaptation. Such highly adaptive plasticity may represent an attractive target for biomedical strategies in a wide range of applications beyond its immediate relevance to excitotoxicity preconditioning. : Marine Organism; Ion Activity; Cellular Physiology Subject Areas: Marine Organism, Ion Activity, Cellular Physiology
