Flatworm genes offer clues to brain regeneration
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Researchers at the University of Georgia identified genes in planarians, a type of flatworm, that control how the animals regrow brain cells.
Planarians can rebuild their brains, tissues, and muscles from even small body fragments because they possess stem cells able to become any cell type the body needs. The team discovered nearly a dozen genes that instruct these stem cells to develop into dopamine-producing neurons and guide them to the correct locations within the worm’s body.
Dopamine is a chemical that helps neurons communicate and controls movement, and its deficiency is linked to conditions like Parkinson’s disease. When the researchers disabled the identified genes in planarians, the worms had difficulty creating new dopamine neurons and experienced impaired movement. Humans and flatworms share these genes, prompting the scientists to believe understanding how they function in planarians could lead to new therapies for brain injuries and neurodegenerative diseases.
Currently, medical treatments for conditions affecting dopamine production or brain injury are limited. The researchers hope their findings will help others develop methods for creating dopamine-producing neurons from stem cells for transplantation into patients, potentially enabling the human brain to better heal itself. The University of Georgia’s Regenerative Bioscience Center supported the research.
