Transgenesis in the acoel worm Hofstenia miamia

The acoel worm Hofstenia miamia, which can replace tissue lost to injury via differentiation of a population of stem cells, has emerged as a new research organism for studying regeneration. To enhance the depth of mechanistic studies in this system, we devised a protocol for microinjection into embryonic cells that resulted in stable transgene integration into the genome and generated animals with tissue-specific fluorescent trans gene expression in epidermis, gut, and muscle. We demonstrate that transgenic Hofstenia are amenable to the isolation of specific cell types, investigations of regeneration, tracking of photoconverted molecules, and live imaging. Further, our stable transgenic lines revealed insights into the biology of Hofstenia, including a high-resolution three-dimensional view of cell morphology and the organization of muscle as a cellular scaffold for other tissues. Our work positions Hofstenia as a powerful system with multiple toolkits for mechanistic investigations of development, whole-body regeneration, and stem cell biology.

Automated summary

The acoel worm Hofstenia miamia is a new research organism for studying regeneration, capable of replacing lost tissue through differentiation of stem cells. A protocol for microinjection was developed to integrate stable transgenes into the genome, allowing tissue-specific fluorescent gene expression in Hofstenia. These transgenic lines provide insights into Hofstenia biology and offer various tools for investigating development, regeneration, and stem cell biology.