Research report 2025 - Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences
Why some worms regenerate, while others cannot
Authors
Vila-Farré, Miquel; Rozanski, Andrei; Ivanković, Mario; Cleland, James; Brand, Jermeias; Thalen, Felix; Grohme, Markus; von Kannen, Stephanie; Grosbusch, Alexandra; Vu, Hanh; Prieto, Carlos; Carbayo, Fernando; Egger, Bernhard; Bleidorn, Cristof; Rasko, John; Rink, Jochen
Departments
Abteilung Gewebedynamik und Regeneration
Summary
Flatworms range from near‑immortal regenerators to species that cannot regrow a head. This finds them ideal for studying how and why regenerative abilities evolve. Systematic comparison among 40 species reveal that Wnt signaling plays a fundamental role in both blocking regeneration and boosting egg‑based reproduction. The opposing functions may create an evolutionary trade‑off: Environmental selection for egg‑laying compromises regeneration, whereas selection for asexual reproduction by splitting and subsequent regeneration helps maintain the group‘s strong regenerative abilities.
