A central body region defined by a position-specific molecule in the planarian Dugesia (Girardia) tigrina: Spatial and temporal variations during regeneration

We have isolated a monoclonal antibody, TCEN49, that displays position-specific binding to the central body region of the planarian Dugesia (Girardia) tigrina. TCEN49 binds to all cell types of the central area with the exception of epithelial cells. Labeled cells are more related by position than by lineage. In the intact organism, boundaries between labeled and unlabeled regions are very sharp and in a dynamic state as they shift in relative position along the body axis during growth and degrowth. During regeneration, TCEN49 antigen is present in the area which will form the central region before it is a morphologically apparent. Moreover, when animals are cut through the central region, TCEN49 label fades quickly from those regions determined to become head or tail well before morphogenesis takes place. Taken together, these data suggest that expression of TCEN49 antigen is very sensitive to positional information changes and that it could be involved in the expression of central-body positional identity. TCEN49 antigen is a glycoprotein with an apparent molecular weight of 4.5 kDa, as determined by gel immunoblotting. Immunogold light and electron microscopy demonstrate that the main location of TCEN49 antigen is intracellular (granular components of secretory cells and, to a lesser extent, clear cytoplasmic vesicles and heterochromatin blocks), though it is also detected in the extracellular matrix, TCEN49 antigen represents the first position-specific molecule reported in planarians to date. (C) 1996 Academic Press, Inc.