Table of Contents | June 2009

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Two-headed flatworms (Dugesia japonica) that regenerated from a trunk fragment exposed to the antischistosomal drug praziquantel.

Praziquantel is the major drug used to treat people infected with parasitic worms that cause schistosomiasis. However, the mechanism of action of praziquantel remains unclear. Nogi et al. (doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0000464) identify a new biological activity of this drug to subvert regenerative polarity in a planarian to produce two-headed flatworms. By using this striking phenotype as a screen for molecules regulating in vivo praziquantel efficacy, the authors provide genetic evidence supporting the calcium channel hypothesis of praziquantel action.

Image Credit: Jonathan Marchant, University of Minnesota

 

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