Position-specific and non-colinear expression of the planarian posterior (Abdominal-B-like) gene

Hox genes are pivotal molecules in the control of morphogenesis along the anterior-posterior (AP) axis in various bilaterians. Planarians are key animals for understanding the evolution of the bilaterian body plan. Furthermore, they are also known for their strong regeneration ability and are thought to use the Hox genes in the process of reconstruction of the AP axis. In the present paper, the identification and analysis of expression of two posterior (Abdominal-B-like) genes, DjAbd-Ba and DjAbd-Bb, is reported in the planarian Dugesia japonica. DjAbd-Ba is expressed in the entire tail region and its anterior boundary is the posterior pharyngeal region. In contrast, DjAbd-Bb is expressed in several types of cells throughout the body. During regeneration, the expression of DjAbd-Ba rapidly recovers a pattern similar to that in the normal worm. These findings suggest the possibility that DjAbd-Ba is involved in the specification of the tail region. The anterior boundary of the expression domain of the posterior gene DjAbd-Ba is anterior to the domains of the central genes Plox4-Dj and Plox5-Dj. These expression patterns of planarian Hox genes seem out of the rule of spatial colinearity and may reflect an ancestral feature of bilaterian Hox genes.