Acoel and platyhelminth models for stem-cell research
1 Biology Department, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
2 Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 601 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
Journal of Biology 2010, 9:14 doi:10.1186/jbiol223
Published: 16 February 2010Abstract
Acoel and platyhelminth worms are particularly attractive invertebrate models for stem-cell research because their bodies are continually renewed from large pools of somatic stem cells. Several recent studies, including one in BMC Developmental Biology, are beginning to reveal the cellular dynamics and molecular basis of stem-cell function in these animals.
See research article http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-213X/9/69 webcite.
