Transplants in annelids, nemerteans and planarians: a tool for embryology, immunology, endocrinology and regeneration research

Abstract

While transplantation procedures are often associated with biomedical applications, they are also an invaluable tool for basic research. This review focuses on how transplantation techniques have been used to understand the biology of three large lophotrochozoan phyla: Annelida, Nemertea and Platyhelmintha. I describe how transplantation paradigms have uncovered fundamental principles regarding the embryology, immunology, endocrinology and regeneration biology of representative species within these three groups. In particular, embryologists have used blastomere transplantations to show that both mosaic and regulative development occurs in animals within the phyla. Immunologists have used transplantation techniques to demonstrate that these invertebrates mount a variety of innate immune responses, some of which include surprising features that classically characterize adaptive immunity. Endocrinologists have used transplantation experiments to uncover hormonal requirements for sexual development and maturation. Meanwhile, regeneration biologists continue to address fundamental questions regarding tissue polarity, post-embryonic patterning, stem cell physiology, and the role of the nervous system in regeneration. Along with recent technical and conceptual advances, transplantation remains a powerful tool for invertebrate research.