Project description DEENESFRITPL A closer look at planarian worms’ regeneration Some animals have the remarkable ability to regenerate body parts that they have lost. However, even among planarian flatworms, which are well-known for their regenerative capabilities, some species have completely lost this ability. The EU-funded RegEvolve project will investigate the diversity of regenerative abilities in planarian flatworms by comparing species that can regenerate with those that are deficient in regeneration. The project will focus on studying the cell biological mechanisms that influence Wnt signaling, which is a critical factor in the evolution of regeneration defects. It will explore the genomic mechanisms that control the deployment of key regulators in the Wnt pathway. The project will also examine evolutionary mechanisms such as trade-offs in life history traits. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective The ability to regenerate lost body parts is widespread amongst animals, yet humans, for example, can only regenerate specific organs. Why some animals regenerate while others hardly do remains a fascinating conundrum, especially so in face of “survival of the fittest”. Even amongst planarian flatworms, famous for their ability to regenerate from random tissue fragments, species exist that have completely lost the ability to regenerate. This proposal will exploit the unique diversity of planarian regenerative abilities amongst to ask why some worms regenerate while others do not. We and others have established that planarian Wnt signalling acts as critical node in the evolution of regeneration defects. Using this finding as strategic focus for comparisons between regenerating and non-regenerating species, we will investigate i) the cell biological mechanisms that shape Wnt pathway activity; ii) the genomic mechanisms that differentially deploy critical pathway regulators; and iii) evolutionary mechanisms in form of life history trait trade-offs as possible driving force behind the drift of regenerative abilities. Key to the project is a diverse collection of regenerating and regeneration-deficient species that my lab has established. Focused comparisons between our two primary model species D. lacteum and S. mediterranea, employing pan-planarian antibodies and functional genomics, will allow us to understand the detailed causes of altered pathway activity. Comparisons amongst the entire collection of 50 species will provide the necessary breadth for identifying and studying the evolutionary principles that “naturally select” regeneration-deficient planarians. The comparative approach of RegEvolve will thus uniquely bridge the proximate (molecular)- with the ultimate (evolutionary) causes of regeneration defects and such interdisciplinary endeavour between molecular and evolutionary regeneration research will lead to new and profound insights into both fields. Fields of science natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiological morphologycomparative morphologyhumanitieshistory and archaeologyhistorynatural sciencesmathematicspure mathematicsmathematical analysisfunctional analysisnatural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticsgenomes Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme Topic(s) ERC-CoG-2014 - ERC Consolidator Grant Call for proposal ERC-2014-CoG See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC-COG - Consolidator Grant Host institution MAX-PLANCK-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER WISSENSCHAFTEN EV Net EU contribution € 2 000 000,00 Address HOFGARTENSTRASSE 8 80539 Munchen Germany See on map Region Bayern Oberbayern München, Kreisfreie Stadt Activity type Research Organisations Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 2 000 000,00 Beneficiaries (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all MAX-PLANCK-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER WISSENSCHAFTEN EV Germany Net EU contribution € 2 000 000,00 Address HOFGARTENSTRASSE 8 80539 Munchen See on map Region Bayern Oberbayern München, Kreisfreie Stadt Activity type Research Organisations Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 2 000 000,00
