Macrostomum

Macrostomum
Temporal range: No fossils known
Macrostomum lignano
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Platyhelminthes
Class: Turbellaria
Order: Macrostomida
Family: Macrostomidae
Genus: Macrostomum
Schmidt, 1848

Macrostomum [1] is a genus of Platyhelminthes with a worldwide distribution,[2][3][4] with over a hundred species described to date.[2] These hermaphroditic, free-living flatworms are usually small in size, with large species reaching up to 5 mm in body length (e.g. Macrostomum tuba). They are usually transparent, and the smaller species appear rather round in cross-section than dorsoventrally flattened.

Name

The term "Macrostomum", meaning "big-mouthed", derives from the Greek μάκρος makros, "large", and στόμα, stoma, mouth. Relative to other turbellaria, Macrostomum species have indeed a long mouth, connected to the gut by a muscular pharynx which can expand, in certain species, to almost the width of the animal.

Ecology

Macrostomum species inhabit different aquatic or moist environments.[2][3][4] Marine and brackish species are often interstitial (living in the space between grains of sediment), whereas freshwater species are also frequently found associated with aquatic plants. Many of these small worms feed on unicellular algae such as diatoms, others on zooplankton or smaller benthic invertebrates.[3]

Species

This genus includes Macrostomum lignano,[5] a new model organism for studies on different areas of biology, including development,[6] bioadhesion,[7] regeneration,[8] stem cell biology,[9] ageing,[10] toxicology,[11] genomics,[12] and evolution.[13]

References

  1. ↑ Schmidt, Eduard Oscar (1848), Die rhabdocoelen Strudelwürmer (Turbellaria Rhabddocoela) des süssen Wassers, Jena: Friedrich Mauke
  2. 1 2 3 http://devbio.umesci.maine.edu/styler/turbellaria/turb2.php?action=1&code=2777 Turbellaria database
  3. 1 2 3 http://macrostomorpha.info/
  4. 1 2 Ferguson, Frederick F. (1954-01-01). "Monograph of the Macrostomine Worms of Turbellaria". Transactions of the American Microscopical Society. 73 (2): 137–164. doi:10.2307/3223751. JSTOR 3223751.
  5. ↑ Ladurner, Peter; Schärer, Lukas; Salvenmoser, Willi; Rieger, Reinhard (2005), "A new model organism among the lower Bilateria and the use of digital microscopy in taxonomy of meiobenthic Platyhelminthes: Macrostomum lignano, n. sp. (Rhabditophora, Macrostomorpha)", Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research, 43 (2): 114–126, doi:10.1111/j.1439-0469.2005.00299.114-126
  6. ↑ Willems, Maxime; Egger, Bernhard; Wolff, Carsten; Mouton, Stijn; Houthoofd, Wouter; Fonderie, Pamela; Couvreur, Marjolein; Artois, Tom; Borgonie, Gaëtan (2009-10-16). "Embryonic origins of hull cells in the flatworm Macrostomum lignano through cell lineage analysis: developmental and phylogenetic implications". Development Genes and Evolution. 219 (8): 409–417. doi:10.1007/s00427-009-0304-x. ISSN 0949-944X.
  7. ↑ Lengerer, Birgit; Pjeta, Robert; Wunderer, Julia; Rodrigues, Marcelo; Arbore, Roberto; Schärer, Lukas; Berezikov, Eugene; Hess, Michael W; Pfaller, Kristian (2014-02-12). "Biological adhesion of the flatworm Macrostomum lignano relies on a duo-gland system and is mediated by a cell type-specific intermediate filament protein". Frontiers in Zoology. 11 (1). doi:10.1186/1742-9994-11-12. PMC 4016567Freely accessible. PMID 24520881.
  8. ↑ Egger, B.; Ladurner, P.; Nimeth, K.; Gschwentner, R.; Rieger, R. (2006-04-08). "The regeneration capacity of the flatworm Macrostomum lignano—on repeated regeneration, rejuvenation, and the minimal size needed for regeneration". Development Genes and Evolution. 216 (10): 565–577. doi:10.1007/s00427-006-0069-4. ISSN 0949-944X. PMC 2441584Freely accessible. PMID 16604349.
  9. ↑ Ladurner, Peter; Egger, Bernhard; Mulder, Katrien De; Pfister, Daniela; Kuales, Georg; Salvenmoser, Willi; Schärer, Lukas (2008-01-01). Bosch, Thomas C. G., ed. The Stem Cell System of the Basal Flatworm Macrostomum lignano. Springer Netherlands. pp. 75–94. doi:10.1007/978-1-4020-8274-0_5. ISBN 9781402082733.
  10. ↑ Mouton, Stijn; Willems, Maxime; Braeckman, Bart P.; Egger, Bernhard; Ladurner, Peter; Schärer, Lukas; Borgonie, Gaetan (2009-04-01). "The free-living flatworm Macrostomum lignano: A new model organism for ageing research". Experimental Gerontology. 44 (4): 243–249. doi:10.1016/j.exger.2008.11.007.
  11. ↑ Willems, Maxime; Stevens, An-Sofie; Adriaens, Els; Plusquin, Michelle; Smeets, Karen; Van Goethem, Freddy; Vanparys, Philippe; Janssen, Colin; Remon, Jean-Paul (2015-09-01). "An Adult Stem Cell Proliferation Assay in the Flatworm Model Macrostomum lignano to Predict the Carcinogenicity of Compounds". Applied In Vitro Toxicology. 1 (3): 213–219. doi:10.1089/aivt.2015.0011. ISSN 2332-1512.
  12. ↑ Wasik, Kaja; Gurtowski, James; Zhou, Xin; Ramos, Olivia Mendivil; Delás, M. Joaquina; Battistoni, Giorgia; Demerdash, Osama El; Falciatori, Ilaria; Vizoso, Dita B. (2015-10-06). "Genome and transcriptome of the regeneration-competent flatworm, Macrostomum lignano". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 112 (40): 12462–12467. doi:10.1073/pnas.1516718112. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 4603488Freely accessible. PMID 26392545.
  13. ↑ Schärer, Lukas; Littlewood, D. Timothy J.; Waeschenbach, Andrea; Yoshida, Wataru; Vizoso, Dita B. (2011-01-25). "Mating behavior and the evolution of sperm design". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 108 (4): 1490–1495. doi:10.1073/pnas.1013892108. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 3029721Freely accessible. PMID 21220334.
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