Temperature affects the biology of Schmidtea mediterranea

International audienceStudies of tissue regeneration and host-pathogen interactions using the model planarian Schmidtea mediterranea have been performed at an experimental temperature of 19 degrees C. S. mediterranea planarians exposed to 19 degrees C-32 degrees C were observed for survival, mobility, feeding and regeneration for three months and elimination of the Staphylococcus aureus pathogen over six days. S. mediterranea planarians died at 30 degrees C-32 degrees C after 18 days of observation but tolerated temperatures of 19 degrees C up to 28 degrees C with non-significant differences in mobility and feeding behavior. Genetic malleability tested by RNAi feeding was still efficient at 26 degrees C and 28 degrees C. Concerning the immune capacity of planarians, we reported an exacerbation of the immune response in worms infected by S. aureus at 26 degrees C and 28 degrees C. These observations suggest a temperature modulation of planarian stem cells and illustrate the importance of modulating experimental temperature when using planarians as model organisms to study regeneration and immune response