Homologs of nanos are required for the formation and maintenance of germline stem cell (GSC) systems and for gametogenesis in many metazoans. Planarians can change their reproductive mode seasonally, alternating between asexual and sexual reproduction; they develop and maintain their somatic stem cells (SSCs) and GCSs from pluripotent stem cells known as neoblasts. We isolated a nanos homolog, Dr-nanos, from the expressed sequence tags (ESTs) of the sexualized form of Dugesia ryukyuensis. We examined the expression of Dr-nanos in asexual and sexualized planarians by in situ hybridization and analyzed its function using RNA interference (RNAi) together with a planarian sexualization assay. A nanos homolog, Dr-nanos, was identified in the planarian D. ryukyuensis. Dr-nanos expression was observed in the ovarian primordial cells of the asexual worms. This expression increased in proportion to sexualization and was localized in the early germline cells of the ovaries and testes. In X-ray-irradiated worms, the expression of Dr-nanos decreased to a large extent, indicating that Dr-nanos is expressed in some subpopulations of stem cells, especially in GSCs. During the sexualization process, worms in which Dr-nanos was knocked down by RNAi exhibited decreased numbers of oogonia in the ovaries and failed to develop testes, whereas the somatic sexual organs were not affected. We conclude that Dr-nanos is essential for the development of germ cells in the ovaries and testes and may have a function in the early stages of germ cell specification, but not in the development of somatic sexual organs.

Reproductive strategy is an important aspect of biological diversity. In tardigrades, several reproductive modes, including sexual reproduction, are known. However, tardigrade mating behavior has been observed only rarely in most species, and in some cases, especially in the freely ovipositing eutardigrades, remains entirely unknown. In the present study, we cultured two sexually reproducing tardigrade species that lay eggs freely, Paramacrobiotus sp. TYO strain and Macrobiotus shonaicus, to investigate and compare their courtship, mating, and chromosome morphology. Mating behavior was observed and recorded in both species. The entire mating sequence, including courtship, was categorized into five discrete steps common to two species, as follows: [1] Tracking: the male tracks and orientates toward the female; [2] Touching: the male makes contact with the cloaca of the female; [3] Standstill: the female ceases movement until male ejaculation is complete; [4] Ejaculation: the male curls its caudal end and ejaculates into the cloaca from close range; [5] Contraction: the female contracts its ventral side after ejaculation to capture spermatozoa deposited in the external environment in close proximity to the cloaca. Some notable differences between the two species were observed in the steps 3–4. First, oviposition was observed at 40 min in Paramacrobiotus sp. TYO strain, and a few days after mating in M. shonaicus, respectively. Comparisons of chromosome morphology before and after mating indicated that oocytes are arrested at metaphase I in both species. Spermatozoa attach to the interior of the chorion of laid eggs.

Recently, telomere length has been shown to be differentially regulated in asexually and sexually reproducing planarians. In addition, it was found that asexual worms maintain telomere length somatically during reproduction by fission or when regeneration is induced by amputation, whereas sexual worms only achieve telomere elongation through sexual reproduction. We have established an experimental bioassay system to induce switching from asexual to sexual reproduction in planarians, that is, sexualization. In this study, the relationship between the reproductive mode and telomere maintenance was investigated using innate asexually reproducing worms, innate sexually reproducing worms, and experimentally sexualized worms. Here, we show that innate asexual planarians maintain telomere length during cell division and that innate sexual planarians exhibit telomere shortening. However, experimental sexualized worms maintain telomere length during cell division. These results indicate that innate sexuality is linked to the mechanism of telomere maintenance.