Two species of Polycelis (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Planariidae) newly recorded for the Qinling Mountains and the Loess Plateau in China, with a comparative discussion on their karyotypes.

The paper details new geographic records of two species of the genus Polycelis Ehrenberg,1831 (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Planariidae) for the Qinling Mountains and the Loess Plateau in China and provides redescriptions of these species based on an integrative taxonomic study involving morphology, karyology, and histology. This new information considerably expands our knowledge on these species, for which until now only limited data was available. The species Polycelis asiatica Selinova, 1985 is characterized by the following features: 63-80 eyes; sperm ducts that exhibit an intrabulbar knee-shaped bend towards the ventral surface before opening separately and symmetrically into the antero-dorsal portion of a large seminal vesicle; the latter is ventrally displaced, thus creating a narrow ventral lip on the penis papilla; dorsal wall of the seminal vesicle is provided with several well-developed folds; more or less bulbous penis papilla protrudes from the dorsal wall of the male atrium and is provided with a slender and flexible tip; chromosome complement diploid with 30 metacentric chromosomes, 8 submetacentric chromosomes, and 2 subtelocentric chromosomes.

Neurotoxicity of Glyphosate to Planarian Dugesia japonica.

As one of the most widely used herbicides in agricultural industry, the residues of glyphosate (GLY) are frequent environmental pollutants. Freshwater planarian Dugesia japonica has been developed as a model for neurotoxicology. In this study, the effects of GLY on locomotion and feeding behavior, as well as neuroenzyme activities and mRNA expressions of D.

Two new species of Dugesia (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Dugesiidae) from the subtropical monsoon region in Southern China, with a discussion on reproductive modalities.

Background: Freshwater planarians of the genus Dugesia (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Dugesiidae) are distributed in a major part of the Old World and Australia, although until recently only very few species were known from China.

Results: Two new species of Dugesia from Southern China are described on the basis of an integrative taxonomic approach. BI and ML phylogenetic trees based on the independent genes and on the concatenated dataset had similar topologies, only differing in some nodes that were weakly supported.

Toxicity of herbicide glyphosate to planarian Dugesia japonica and its potential molecular mechanisms.

Glyphosate (GLY) is one of the most widely used agrochemicals in the world, and its exposure has become a public health concern. The freshwater planarian is an ideal test organism for detecting the toxicity of pollutants and has been an emerging animal model in toxicological studies. Nevertheless, the underlying toxicity mechanism of GLY to planarians has not been thoroughly explored.

Two new species of (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Dugesiidae) from the tropical monsoon forest in southern China.

Two new species of the genus (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Dugesiidae) from the tropical monsoon forest in southern China are described on the basis of an integrative taxonomic study involving morphology, karyology, histology, and molecular analyses. The new species Chen & Dong, is characterised by asymmetrical openings of the oviducts; right vas deferens opening at anterior portion of the seminal vesicle and the left one opening at mid-lateral portion of the seminal vesicle; two diaphragms in ejaculatory duct, the latter being ventrally displaced and opening at the tip of the penis papilla, which is provided with a nozzle; wide duct connecting male atrium and common atrium; chromosome complement triploid with 24 metacentric chromosomes. The other new species, Chen & Dong, , is characterised by the large size of the living worm, usually exceeding 3.

[Functional analysis of autophagy-related gene in planarian central nervous system regeneration].

Autophagy-related gene 6 () plays an essential role in autophagy, and loss of its function impairs neurogenesis. Planarian is a good model for the study of the central nervous system (CNS) regeneration. It can regenerate a new head in 1 week following decapitation.

Integrative descriptions of two new species of from Hainan Island, China (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Dugesiidae).

Two new species of the genus (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Dugesiidae) from Hainan Island of China are described on the basis of morphological, karyological and molecular data. Chen & Dong, . is mainly characterized by a hemispherical, asymmetrical penis papilla with ventrally displaced ejaculatory duct opening terminally at tip of penis papilla; vasa deferentia separately opening into mid-dorsal portion of intrabulbar seminal vesicle; two diaphragms in the ejaculatory duct; copulatory bursa formed by expansion of bursal canal, lined with complex stratified epithelium, which projects through opening in bursa towards intestine, without having open communication with the gut; mixoploid chromosome complement diploid (2n = 16) and triploid (3n = 24), with metacentric chromosomes.

Biomarkers of Planarian Dugesia japonica in Response to Herbicide Glyphosate Exposure.

As the worldwide top-selling herbicide, glyphosate is ubiquitously distributed in the natural environment, and its influence on the ecological safety and human health has being increasingly concerned. In this study, mRNA expressions of GPX and three heat shock protein genes in freshwater planarian Dugesia japonica in response to glyphosate were determined, and two oxidative stress parameters were measured. The results suggested that GPX activity can be used as a more sensitive biomarker in contrast with GPX gene expression, and mRNA expressions of Hsp70, Hsp90 genes are more sensitive than Hsp40 for planarians in response to glyphosate stress.

A novel sigma class glutathione S-transferase gene in freshwater planarian Dugesia japonica: cloning, characterization and protective effects in herbicide glyphosate stress.

As the top-selling herbicide in the world, glyphosate distributes widely in natural environment and its influence on the ecological security and human health has attracted more and more concern. Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are a well-characterized superfamily of isoenzymes for cellular defense against exogenous toxic substances and therefore protect organisms from injury. In this study, the complete cDNA sequence of GST gene (named as Dja-GST) in freshwater planarian Dugesia japonica was firstly cloned by means of RACE method.

Identification of a potential tissue-specific biomarker cathepsin L-like gene from the planarian Dugesia japonica: Molecular cloning, characterization, and expression in response to heavy metal exposure.

Heavy metal pollution is a global health issue affecting people worldwide, and the exploration of sensitive biomarkers to assess the toxicity of heavy metals is an important work for researchers. Cathepsin L, role as a tissue-specific biomarker to assess the biological effects of environmental pollutants, has not received much attention. In this work, the full-length cDNA of cathepsin L gene from the planarian Dugesia japonica (designated DjCatL) was cloned by rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) technique.

CuZnSOD and MnSOD from freshwater planarian Dugesia japonica: cDNA cloning, mRNA expression and enzyme activity in response to environmental pollutants.

As an important antioxidant enzyme, the superoxide dismutase (SOD) can protect aerobic organisms from oxidative damage through catalyzing the dismutation of superoxide into hydrogen peroxide and oxygen. The SODs have been cloned in some species and their dynamic expression or enzymatic activity in response to environmental stressors were investigated. In the current study, the full-length cDNA of two SODs from freshwater planarian Dugesia japonica were firstly cloned (named as DjCuZnSOD and DjMnSOD, respectively).

Molecular cloning, characterization, expression and enzyme activity of catalase from planarian Dugesia japonica in response to environmental pollutants.

Catalase (CAT) is an important antioxidant enzyme that protects aerobic organisms against oxidative damage by degrading hydrogen peroxide to oxygen and water. CAT mRNAs have been cloned from many species and employed as useful biomarkers of oxidative stress. In the present study, we cloned the cDNA sequence of CAT gene from freshwater planarian Dugesia japonica (designated as DjCAT) by means of RACE method.

Genotoxicity Evaluation of an Urban River on Freshwater Planarian by RAPD Assay.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the genotoxic potential of an urban river - the Wei River in Xinxiang, China using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) assay in planarians. The results showed that the total number of polymorphic bands and varied bands in RAPD patterns of treated planarians decreased with the water sample site far away from the sewage outlet of a factory. In addition, the genome template stability of treated groups decreased and the degree of the decline was negatively related to the distance between the sample site and the sewage outlet, suggesting that the Wei River water had genotoxicity effects on planarians and strengthening the management of the Wei River was necessary.

Genotoxicity evaluation of ionic liquid 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide in freshwater planarian Dugesia japonica using RAPD assay.

The randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) assay has been used to detect DNA alternation and mutation recently. However, the effectiveness of this method in detecting DNA damage in planarians, a model organism for assessing the toxicity of environmental pollutants is unknown. In the present study, RAPD assay was used to detect the DNA damage in planarians treated by the ionic liquid 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide ([Cmim]Br) for the first time.

Molecular characterization of the glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) gene in planarian Dugesia japonica.

GRP78 (78 kDa glucose-regulated protein) has ubiquitously existed in nearly all organisms from yeast to humans, reflecting the central roles it plays in cell survival. In this report, we isolated and sequenced the full-length cDNA of GRP78 (designated DjGRP78) from the planarian Dugesia japonica. The cDNA is 2121 bp, including an open reading frame (ORF) of 1983 bp encoding a polypeptide of 660 amino acids with three HSP70 family signatures.

cDNA cloning of heat shock protein 90 gene and protein expression pattern in response to heavy metal exposure and thermal stress in planarian Dugesia japonica.

Heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) is an abundant and highly conserved molecular chaperone, playing important roles in multiple cellular stress responses. The full-length cDNA of planarian Dugesia japonica Hsp90 (designated DjHsp90) was firstly cloned using rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) techniques. It is 2,354 bp, including an open reading frame (ORF) of 2,148 bp encoding a polypeptide of 715 amino acids with all five HSP90 family signatures.