Segment number threshold determines juvenile onset of germline cluster proliferation in Platynereis dumerilii

Abstract

Many animals rely on sexual reproduction to propagate by using gametes (oocytes and sperm). Development of sexual characters and generation of gametes are tightly coupled with the growth of an organism. Platynereis dumerilii is a marine segmented worm which has been used to study germline development and gametogenesis. Platynereis has 4 Primordial Germ Cells (PGCs) that arise early in development and these cells are thought to give rise to germ cell clusters found across the body in the juvenile worms. The germ cell clusters eventually form the gametes. The stages of germline development and how the 4 PGCs become the numerous germ cell clusters are not well-documented in the juvenile stages. Platynereis, like other segmented worms, grows by adding new segments at its posterior end. The number of segments generally reflect the growth state of the worms and therefore is a useful and easily measurable growth state metric. To understand how growth correlates with development and gametogenesis, we investigated germline development across several developmental stages using germline/multipotency markers. We found that segment number predicted the state of germline development and the abundance of germline clusters. Additionally, we found that keeping worms short in segment number via changing external conditions or via amputations supported segment number threshold requirement for germline development. Finally, we asked if these clusters in Platynereis play a role in regeneration (as similar free-roaming cells are observed in Hydra and planarian regeneration) and found that the clusters were not required for regeneration in Platynereis, suggesting a strictly germline nature. Overall, these molecular analyses suggest a previously unidentified developmental transition dependent on the growth state in juvenile Platynereis when germline proliferation is substantially increased.