Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 4, 2026
10:09
Planarian Immobilization, Partial Irradiation, and Tissue Transplantation
Published on: August 6, 2012
A jump-start for planarian head regeneration
1Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston TX 77204-5001, USA. asater@uh.edu
Chemistry & Biology
|February 1, 2011
Abstract:
Planaria are simple flatworms with an extraordinary ability to regenerate missing body parts. This makes them a unique model system for the study of regeneration. Extending an earlier chemical screen, Beane et al. (2011) now reveal a role for H+/K+ ATPase and membrane depolarization in anterior regeneration in planaria.
Related Concept Videos
01:33Whole Body Regeneration
Regeneration is the process of restoring injured or lost tissues, organs, or body parts. While simpler organisms generally show greater ability to regenerate their whole body, few complex animals show similarly exceptional regeneration. For example, planarian flatworms have a unique regenerative potential making them a popular study organism among biologists to understand the mechanisms of whole body regeneration. Other organisms, such as hydra, also show extreme regeneration potential; even...
01:19Overview of Regeneration and Repair
Regeneration and repair processes are critical in healing damages caused by injury, disease, and aging. In regeneration, the damaged tissue is entirely replaced with new growth that restores the original architecture and function. In contrast, tissue repair usually results in a fixed tissue architecture involving scar formation. Scars generally do not reestablish tissue function and may also exhibit structural abnormalities at the injury site.
Regeneration
All animals have varying degrees of...
Regeneration
All animals have varying degrees of...
01:23Renewal of Intestinal Stem Cells
The intestinal epithelial lining rapidly renews every 4 to 5 days. The renewal is facilitated by intestinal stem cells (ISCs) located at the base of the crypt– a gland located at the bottom of each villus. ISCs divide asymmetrically to form new stem cells and progenitor daughter cells. The daughter cells are called transit-amplifying (TA) cells which move upwards along the crypt and either differentiate into absorptive cells– the enterocytes or secretory cells– including the goblet,...