Planarians As Animal Models For Comparative Biogerontology: A Prospectus
R.M. Anson
Windward Islands Research Institute & St. George's University, St. George's, Grenada
Planarians are small, invertebrate flatworms. Unlike D. melanogaster and C. elegans, planaria are not post-mitotic: they maintain a stem cell population which provides them with regenerative abilities which have been remarked upon for more than two centuries. Maintenance of the soma is critical to their reproductive survival because, under certain circumstances, some species reproduce via fission. An understanding of the protective mechanisms that they have evolved promises to provide a basis for novel medical interventions to retard degenerative aging processes. This report will review research indicating that some species of planaria may have indeterminate lifespans in the absence of asexual reproduction, that they respond to caloric restriction by regression, and that they die within weeks if their ability to regenerate and repair is prevented. These published studies and preliminary work in my own laboratory will be used to argue that planaria will be an informative and valuable addition to the available invertebrate models for comparative biogerontology.
Key words:
regeneration repair non-aging model planaria
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