Fluorescent micrograph by Alicia Boyd selected for the cover of Invertebrate Biology (December 2023 issue)
Published: Thursday, January 11, 2024
This image shows the ladder-like arrangement of a ventral nerve cord in a Capitella teleta larva whose posterior end was amputated 2 days prior. Neural fibers extend into new tissue at the wound site (bottom of the image), a feature of successful regeneration previously only shown in adults.
Regeneration, while widespread across animals, has primarily been studied in adults. Relatively few studies examine how regenerative abilities vary across the life cycle. In this issue, Alicia Boyd and Elaine Seaver investigate anterior and posterior regeneration potential in C. teleta larvae. They show that C. teleta larvae exhibit early stages of regeneration without being able to fully replace lost tissue. Their results suggest that regenerating annelids gradually gain regeneration potential during their life cycles.
The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience
