There were multiple prerequisites to the evolution of multicellular animal life, including the
generation of multiple cell fates (" cellular diversity") and their patterned spatial arrangement …

Regeneration is one of the great mysteries of biology. Planarians are flatworms capable of
dramatic feats of regeneration, which have been studied for over 2 centuries. Recent …

The ability of animals to regenerate missing parts is a dramatic and poorly understood
aspect of biology. The sources of new cells for these regenerative phenomena have been …

How animals establish and pattern the primary body axis is one of the most fundamental
problems in biology. Data from diverse deuterostomes (frog, fish, mouse, and amphioxus) …

Planarians are members of the Platyhelminthes (flatworms). These animals have evolved a
remarkable stem cell system. A single pluripotent adult stem cell type (“neoblast”) gives rise …

Regenerative abilities vary dramatically across animals. Even amongst planarian flatworms,
well-known for complete regeneration from tiny body fragments, some species have …

Regeneration requires both potential and instructions for tissue replacement. In planarians,
pluripotent stem cells have the potential to produce all new tissue. The identities of the cells …

Planarians are capable of regenerating any missing body part and present an attractive
system for molecular investigation of regeneration initiation. The gene activation program …

Wnt genes are important regulators of embryogenesis and cell differentiation in vertebrates
and insects. New data revealed by comparative genomics have now shown that members of …

For successful regeneration, the identity of the missing tissue must be specified according to
the pre-existing tissue. Planarians are ideal for the study of the mechanisms underlying this …