@article {115,
	title = {The free-living flatworm Macrostomum lignano: A new model organism for ageing research},
	journal = {Experimental GerontologyExperimental Gerontology},
	volume = {44},
	number = {4},
	year = {2009},
	note = {Mouton, Stijn Willems, Maxime Braeckman, Bart P. Egger, Bernhard Ladurner, Peter Schaerer, Lukas Borgonie, Gaetan},
	month = {Apr},
	pages = {243-249},
	abstract = {To study the several elements and causes of ageing, diverse model organisms and methodologies are required. The most frequently used models are Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila melanogaster and rodents. All have their advantages and disadvantages and allow studying particular aspects of the ageing process. During the last few years, several ageing studies focussed on stem cells and their role in tissue homeostasis. Here we present a new model organism which can study this relation where other model systems fail. The flatworm Macrostomum lignano possesses a dynamic population of likely totipotent somatic stem cells known as neoblasts. Several characteristics qualify M. lignano as a suitable model system for ageing studies in general and more specifically for gaining more insight in the causal relation between stem cells, ageing and rejuvenation. In this review, we will briefly describe the species and its life history, and discuss the role of its stem cells in ageing and rejuvenation. We also give an overview of the available experimental tools that allow a multidisciplinary approach for studying ageing in M. lignano. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.},
	isbn = {0531-5565},
	author = {Mouton, S. and Willems, M. and Braeckman, B. P. and Egger, B. and Ladurner, P. and Scharer, L. and Borgonie, G.}
}
@article {79,
	title = {Lack of metabolic ageing in the long-lived flatworm <i>Schmidtea polychroa</i>},
	journal = {Experimental GerontologyExperimental Gerontology},
	volume = {46},
	number = {9},
	year = {2011},
	note = {Mouton, Stijn Willems, Maxime Houthoofd, Wouter Bert, Wim Braeckman, Bart P.},
	month = {Sep},
	pages = {755-761},
	abstract = {Freshwater planarians have a large totipotent stem cell population allowing high rates of cell renewal and morphological plasticity. It is often suggested that they are able to rejuvenate during fission, regeneration and starvation. These features, together with the rapidly expanding molecular toolset, make planarians such as Schmidtea polychroa and S. mediterranea interesting for ageing research. Yet, the basic demographic and physiological data are lacking or still based on fragmentary observations of one century ago. Here, we present the first longitudinal physiological study of the species S. polychroa. Survival, size and metabolic rate, measured by microcalorimetry, of a cohort of 28 individuals were followed over a period of three years. Sexual maturity was reached during the second month after which the worms continued growing up to 5 months. This initial growth phase was followed by alternating periods of synchronised growth and degrowth. Although mass-specific metabolic rates declined during the initial growth phase, no changes were found later in life. The absence of metabolic ageing may be explained by the very high rate of cell renewal during homeostasis and alternating phases of degrowth and growth during which tissues are renewed. Surprisingly, all deaths occurred in pairs of worms that were housed in the same culture recipient, suggesting that worms did not die from ageing. Taking into account the metabolic and demographic data, we suggest that S. polychroa shows negligible ageing. Detailed analyses of size and metabolic rate revealed a remarkable biphasic allometric scaling relation. During the initial growth phase (months 1-5) the allometric scaling exponent b was 0.86 while later in life, it increased to an unusually large value of 1.17, indicating that mass-specific metabolic rate increases with size in adult S. polychroa. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.},
	isbn = {0531-5565},
	author = {Mouton, S. and Willems, M. and Houthoofd, W. and Bert, W. and Braeckman, B. P.}
}
