On the coupling of mechanics with bioelectricity and its role in morphogenesis.

The role of endogenous bioelectricity in morphogenesis has recently been explored through the finite volume-based code . We extend this platform to electrostatic and osmotic forces due to bioelectrical ion fluxes, causing cell cluster deformation. We further account for mechanosensitive ion channels, which, gated by membrane tension, modulate ion fluxes and, ultimately, bioelectrical forces.

Regenerative Adaptation to Electrochemical Perturbation in Planaria: A Molecular Analysis of Physiological Plasticity.

Anatomical homeostasis results from dynamic interactions between gene expression, physiology, and the external environment. Owing to its complexity, this cellular and organism-level phenotypic plasticity is still poorly understood. We establish planarian regeneration as a model for acquired tolerance to environments that alter endogenous physiology.

Neural control of body-plan axis in regenerating planaria.

Control of axial polarity during regeneration is a crucial open question. We developed a quantitative model of regenerating planaria, which elucidates self-assembly mechanisms of morphogen gradients required for robust body-plan control. The computational model has been developed to predict the fraction of heteromorphoses expected in a population of regenerating planaria fragments subjected to different treatments, and for fragments originating from different regions along the anterior-posterior and medio-lateral axis.

Bioelectrical coupling in multicellular domains regulated by gap junctions: A conceptual approach.

We review the basic concepts involved in bioelectrically-coupled multicellular domains, focusing on the role of membrane potentials (V). In the first model, single-cell V is modulated by two generic polarizing and depolarizing ion channels, while intercellular coupling is implemented via voltage-gated gap junctions. Biochemical and bioelectrical signals are integrated via a feedback loop between V and the transcription and translation of a protein forming an ion channel.

Planarian regeneration as a model of anatomical homeostasis: Recent progress in biophysical and computational approaches.

Planarian behavior, physiology, and pattern control offer profound lessons for regenerative medicine, evolutionary biology, morphogenetic engineering, robotics, and unconventional computation. Despite recent advances in the molecular genetics of stem cell differentiation, this model organism's remarkable anatomical homeostasis provokes us with truly fundamental puzzles about the origin of large-scale shape and its relationship to the genome. In this review article, we first highlight several deep mysteries about planarian regeneration in the context of the current paradigm in this field.