Scientists Sequence Genome of the Flatworm Macrostomum Lignano
Posted on September 21, 2015
Scientists have sequenced the genome of a flatworm known for its ability to regenerate nearly every part of its body. The flatworm, Macrostomum lignano, was first discovered near the Italian beach town of Lignano Sabbiadoro.
Researchers have long been trying to understand the flatworm's amazing regenerative abilities. The sequencing research team was led by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Professor and HHMI Investigator Gregory Hannon.
Hannon says in a statement, "This flatworm can regenerate every part of its body except the brain. This and other regenerating flatworms have the same kind of pathway operating in stem cells that is responsible for their remarkable regenerative capabilities. As we started to try to understand the biology of these stem cells, it very quickly became clear that we needed information about the genetic content of these organisms."
The scientists say M. lignano turned out to have an unusually complex genome. CSHL Associate Professor Michael Schatz says, "At the genomic level it has almost no relationship to anything else that's ever been sequenced. It's very strange and unique in that sense."
Hannon says scientists will use detailed analysis to try and determine how the flatworm's stem cells are able to develop into a variety of different cell types during regeneration. A research paper on the flatworm genome sequencing was published here in the journal PNAS.