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Mol Mir, Stephanie Nowotarski, Melainia McClain, Alejandro Sanchez Alvarado (Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City MO, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase MD, USA)
Planarians are flatworms with an incredible ability to regenerate lost tissue, thanks to a population of stem cells called neoblasts. Neoblasts are their only cells that undergo mitosis and are thus responsible for all tissue regeneration and maintenance. Planarians are up to several millimeters in length, but complex enough to have several organ systems including: gut, central nervous system, and an excretory system. To maintain fluid homeostasis, the excretory system of these animals is formed by internal branching tubules, called protonephridia, distributed throughout the body. Using serial block face scanning electron microscopy, we can visualize these structures in 3D in the context of the organism. A problem that arises from working with these data is that the density of information can be overwhelming and difficult to interpret. This method of visually unwrapping the 3D twists and turns of protonephridia to create 2D maps allows for a more intuitive understanding of the cellular architecture involved in their creation and maintenance. These maps retain visual landmarks and biological orientation, while being easily understandable in a 2D format.