Inducing Complete Polyp Regeneration from the Aboral Physa of the Starlet Sea Anemone Nematostella vectensis

The overall goal of this procedure is to illustrate the predictable series of morphological changes that occurred during the regeneration of a complete polyp from a tiny section of tissue removed from the aboral tip of nematostella vectensis This method can help answer key questions in regeneration biology, such as how cells at the site of a wound reorganize and deploy to remake the missing structures. I first had the idea for this method because I wanted to see how relatively complex polyp could put itself back together starting with the least amount of morphological information. Visual demonstration of this method is critical because stage progression after the initial wounding is sometimes obscured by a mucous membrane.

Generally individuals new to this method will struggle to obtain a complete separation of the tissue at the wound site, because of the soft, sticky, gelatinous nature of the polyp. Begin this procedure with conditioning of nematostella vectensis as described in the text protocol. It's especially important when using this technique that the animals selected are the same size, and have the same culture history, such as identical feeding and other condition parameters.