General characterization of regeneration in Aeolosoma viride

Regeneration has long attracted scientists for its potential to restore lost, damaged or aged tissues and organs. A wide range of studies have conducted on different model organisms on both cellular and molecular levels. Current evidences suggest that a variety of regenerative strategies are developed and used by different species, and their regenerative strategies are highly correlated to their reproductive methods. Our present work focused on the freshwater annelid Aeolosoma viride, which reproduces by paratonic fission and is capable of complete regeneration. We found out that A. viride can regenerate both anterior and posterior end, even with only 3 segments remained. This process is characterized by epimorphosis that involves large amount of cell proliferation which drives the formation of blastema. Cell proliferation and regeneration successful ratio were significantly decreased when treated with microtubule inhibitor taxol or Avi-tubulin dsRNA, which confirmed that cell proliferation served as a key event during regeneration. Together, our data described the regenerative processes of A. viride, which includes high level of cell proliferation and the formation of blastema. Furthermore, our findings demonstrated A. viride as a potential model for the study of regeneration.