02143nas a2200109 4500008004100000245008800041210006900129260001600198520174500214100002201959856005201981 2017 eng d00aSulphated glycosaminoglycans support an assortment of planarian rhabdite structures0 aSulphated glycosaminoglycans support an assortment of planarian  c2017 Mar 163 a

Planaria are soft-bodied, bilateral flatworms of the phylum Playhelminthes. They are covered in cilia and use ciliary-gliding to traverse the substratum while hunting. Their body surface is covered in a layer of viscous slime primarily derived from specialised secretory granules known as rhabdites. The slime must somehow stay associated with the surface of the animal in aqueous environments whilst also lubricating the interface of the animal and the surfaces over which the animal moves. The slime prevents damage to the animal's soft body and also contributes to adhesion to the substratum. In order to gain insight into how it might achieve these diverse functions, we performed electron microscopic examination of the slime's structure. Analysis of two freshwater flatworms from the UK Schmidtea polychroa (Schmidt, 1861) and Polycelis tenuis (Ijima, 1884) revealed a high level of organisation of the slime layer and a variety of ejected slime structures. We show that these structures are rich in sulphated glycosaminoglycans (sGAGs). Most of these (269 of 285 examined) appear to be topologically-closed spheroids that we name ball-GAGs Another class appears to burst to release flower- and star-like clusters which adhere to motile cilia. We also observe fibrous nets that are associated with entrapped bacteria. Examination of the structure of rhabdites ejected onto a porous surface suggests a mechanism by which their structure allows them to both bind to the porous surface and provide a smooth layer over which the animal could glide. Such sGAG-based structures might provide models for the design of artificial biomimetic replacements for tears, saliva, bio-compatible lubricants or drug-delivery vehicles.

1 aHayes, Matthew, J uhttps://continenticola.myspecies.info/node/173003333nas a2200169 4500008004100000022001400041245013500055210006900190260002900259300001200288490000700300520274800307100001803055700001703073700001603090856005703106 1995 eng d a1365-242700aThe reaction time of leech and triclad species to crushed prey and the significance of this for their coexistence in British lakes0 areaction time of leech and triclad species to crushed prey and t bBlackwell Publishing Ltd a21–280 v343 a1. Three species of leeches, Erpobdella octoculata, Glossiphonia complanata and Helobdella stagnalis, and four species of triclads, Polycelis nigra, P. tennis, Dugesia polychroa and Dendrocoelum lacteum, commonly coexist on stony shores in productive British lakes. All species are food limited and there is much overlap in their diet. For both leech and triclad communities, coexistence of species is through the occurrence of food refuges. Leeches are more successful than triclads at capturing live prey, whereas both groups feed on damaged prey, comprising incapacitated, live or dead animals that are leaking body fluids. If triclads are better than leeches at exploiting damaged prey, this could be a mechanism for their coexistence.2. Laboratory experiments investigated the comparative speeds at which leeches and triclads responded to crushed prey. Young and adult predators were offered a crushed specimen of the oligochaete Tubifex tubifex, the snail Lymnaea peregra, the crustacean Asellus aquaticus or the chironomid Chironomus sp., and their reaction times recorded. These four prey groups constitute the main diet of the predators in the field. Only D. polychroa and D. lacteum showed a significantly different reaction time between young and adults to crushed prey, and the reason for this is unclear. All predators, except H. stagnalis and D. polychroa, showed a difference in reaction time to the four types of prey, presumably a consequence of differences in both the ‘quality’ and ‘concentration’ of the different prey fluids, and there were some differences between predators in their speed of reaction to the same prey type. The following sequence, from fastest to slowest, in general reaction time to prey was obtained: E. octoculata, D. polychroa, P. tenuis, D. lacteum, P. nigra, H. stagnalis and G. complanata.3. The location of the damaged food by the predators can be explained partly in terms of their foraging behaviour, with E. octoculata, D, polychroa and P. tenuis exhibiting a more seek-out strategy than other species which have a more sit-and-wait behaviour, and partly on the level of sophistication of their chemosensory system used to detect leaked prey fluids. This system is highly developed in triclad species but poorly developed in leeches.4. In a second type of experiment in which prey, L. peregra, A. aquaticus or Chironomus sp., were offered at different time intervals after crushing to H, stagnalis and P. tenuis, few predators fed on food crushed for 24 h or longer, although a few leeches fed on Chironomus crushed for up to 72 h.5. It is concluded that coexistence of leech and triclad species on stony shores in lakes is assisted by partitioning of food on a damaged or live basis.1 aSEABY, R.M.H.1 aMARTIN, A.J.1 aYOUNG, J.O. uhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2427.1995.tb00419.x02142nas a2200205 4500008004100000020002300041245007500064210006900139260004000208300001600248490000700264520149300271100001901764700001801783700002401801700001901825700001501844700002001859856005701879 2016 eng d a0305-10481362-496200aPlanMine – a mineable resource of planarian biology and biodiversity0 aPlanMine a mineable resource of planarian biology and biodiversi bOxford University Pressc2016/01/04 aD764 - D7730 v443 a

Planarian flatworms are in the midst of a renaissance as a model system for regeneration and stem cells. Besides two well-studied model species, hundreds of species exist worldwide that present a fascinating diversity of regenerative abilities, tissue turnover rates, reproductive strategies and other life history traits. PlanMine (http://planmine.mpi-cbg.de/) aims to accomplish two primary missions: First, to provide an easily accessible platform for sharing, comparing and value-added mining of planarian sequence data. Second, to catalyze the comparative analysis of the phenotypic diversity amongst planarian species. Currently, PlanMine houses transcriptomes independently assembled by our lab and community contributors. Detailed assembly/annotation statistics, a custom-developed BLAST viewer and easy export options enable comparisons at the contig and assembly level. Consistent annotation of all transcriptomes by an automated pipeline, the integration of published gene expression information and inter-relational query tools provide opportunities for mining planarian gene sequences and functions. For inter-species comparisons, we include transcriptomes of, so far, six planarian species, along with images, expert-curated information on their biology and pre-calculated cross-species sequence homologies. PlanMine is based on the popular InterMine system in order to make the rich biology of planarians accessible to the general life sciences research community.

1 aBrandl, Holger1 aMoon, HongKee1 aVila-Farré, Miquel1 aLiu, Shang-Yun1 aHenry, Ian1 aRink, Jochen, C uhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4702831/00596nas a2200169 4500008004100000245012600041210006900167260001200236300000900248490000900257100002400266700001800290700001700308700003000325700001900355856005200374 2011 eng d00aFreshwater planarians (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida) from the Iberian Peninsula and Greece: diversity and notes on ecology0 aFreshwater planarians Platyhelminthes Tricladida from the Iberia c02/2011 a1-380 v27791 aVila-Farré, Miquel1 aSluys, Ronald1 aAlmagro, Ío1 aHandberg-Thorsager, Mette1 aRomero, Rafael uhttps://continenticola.myspecies.info/node/121800627nas a2200169 4500008004100000245016100041210006900202300000900271490000900280100002000289700001800309700001600327700002400343700001900367700001900386856005200405 2012 eng d00aFreshwater planarians (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida) from the Palearctic section of the African continent: new records, with the description of a new species0 aFreshwater planarians Platyhelminthes Tricladida from the Palear a1-150 v31821 aHarrath, A., H.1 aSluys, Ronald1 aMerzoug, D.1 aYacoubi-Khebiza, M.1 aAlwasel, Saleh1 aRiutort, Marta uhttps://continenticola.myspecies.info/node/120600579nas a2200133 4500008004100000245019200041210006900233300001200302490000900314100003200323700001800355700002000373856005200393 2012 eng d00aA new species of Dugesia (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Dugesiidae) from the Afromontane forest in South Africa, with an overview of freshwater planarians from the African continent0 anew species of iDugesiai Platyhelminthes Tricladida Dugesiidae f a43–580 v35511 aStocchino, Giacinta, Angela1 aSluys, Ronald1 aManconi, Renata uhttps://continenticola.myspecies.info/node/1207