May 23 with Rubin Baskir
Selective amputation of the pharynx identifies a FoxA-dependent regeneration program inplanaria.
Presented by Rubin Baskir, Graduate Student (Susan Majka's Lab)
Adler et al. (2014) Elife 3:e02238
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3985184/ 
Organ regeneration in humans is the distant goal of many basic scientists and clinicians. The planarian flatworm is an ideal model system given their profound regenerative capacity. While planarian regeneration has been documented for almost a century, the molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. An RNAi screen identified 20 unique genes essential for pharynx regeneration induced by chemical amputation, including FoxA. FoxA is found in planarian stem cells and may mark pharyngeal progenitors. This paper explores FoxA’s potential as a pioneer factor for the regeneration of a complete organ.