Modification of regeneration in Dugesia tigrina by actinomycin D

Differences in regeneration of isolated postpharyngeal body sections were observed in two laboratory groups of Dugesia tigrina. One group regenerated 14.8% of bipharyngeal specimens, which in some cases, also showed abnormal polarity. The other group regenerated only 1.19% of bipharyngeal forms under similar conditions, with no indications of seriously deviant polarity. In the first strain, the application of actinomycin D at early stages of regeneration of the body sections increased greatly the incidence of multipharyngeal regenerates (with 2–5 pharynges); it also slightly enhanced the occurrence of abnormal polarity in the reconstituted worms. In the second strain, the increase in percentage of bipharyngeal forms regenerated from similar body fragments was insignificant (up to 5%). It was without effect on either strain if introduced to the regenerating sections at later stages of regeneraton. A test for incorporation of 32P into RNA showed that actinomycin, as used in the present study, suppressed over 90% of synthesis of total RNA in the regenerating body fragments. From these findings a hypothetical model is developed to explain reorganization in the isolated postpharyngeal section as a sequence of certain local inductions and inhibitions of differentiation. The significance of synthesis of RNA in relation to these developmental events is discussed.