Research Articles
Leveraging Spatial Transcriptomics and Electron Microscopy to Define Stem Cell Micro-environments in vivo:
Mann FG, Brewster CE, D. Vuu, Dewars ER, Nien S, Guerrero-Hernández C, Morrison JA, Maddera LE, McClain ML, Hall KE, Malloy S, Chen S, Slaughter BD, S. McKinney, Perera A, Nowotarski SH, Benham-Pyle BW†, Sánchez Alvarado A†, Molecular and cellular characterization of planarian stem cell microenvironments. Cell Reports Oct 25:116401 (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2025.116401
Highlighted in: Andrea Lius, Flatworm Stem Cells Regenerate through contactless communication. The Scientist https://www.the-scientist.com/flatworm-stem-cells-regenerate-through-contactless-communication-73613
Image Credit: Designed and illustrated by Mol Mir and copyrighted by Cell Reports
Defining a heterogeneous, metabolically active, and potentially secretory TRACS:
Kent A, Guerrero-Hernández C, Brewster C, McKinney S, Morrison JA, McKinney S, Ross EJ, Mann FG, Benham-Pyle BW, Sánchez Alvarado A. Metabolites produced by agat+ cells support regeneration in the planarian Schmidtea mediterranea. Developmental Biology Oct 6; 529:106-120 (2025) DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2025.10.001
Image Credit: Designed and illustrated by Mol Mir and copyrighted by Developmental Biology/Elsevier
Identification and characterization of Transient Regeneration Activated Cell States (TRACS) using scRNAseq:
Benham-Pyle BW, Brewster CE, Kent AM, Mann Jr. FG, Chen S, Scott AR, Box AC, Sánchez Alvarado A, Identification of rare, transient post-mitotic cell states that are induced by injury and required for whole-body regeneration in Schmidtea mediterranea. Nature Cell Biology 23, 939-952 (2021) DOI: 10.1038/s41556-021-00734-6
Highlighted in: Fuchs E & Ellis SJ, Stem cell progeny liasons in regeneration. Nature Cell Biology 23, 932-933 (2021) DOI: 10.1038/s41556-021-00751-5
Pre-printed as: Benham-Pyle BW, Brewster CE, Kent AM, Mann FG, Chen S, Scott AR, Box AR, Sánchez Alvarado A, Identification of rare transient somatic cell states induced by injury and required for whole-body regeneration. BioRxiv (2020). DOI: 10.1101/2020.06.04.132753
Planarian asexual reproduction is a size-dependent behavior regulated by the central nervous system:
Arnold CP*, Benham-Pyle BW*, Lange JJ, Wood CJ, Sánchez Alvarado A, Wnt and TGFβ coordinate growth and patterning to regulate size-dependent behavior. Nature 7, 1-5 (2019)DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1478-7
Highlighted in: Holstein, TW. What makes Flatworms go to pieces.Nature News and Views (2019) DOI: 10.1038/d41586-019-02376-z
Image Credit: Design and Copyright by Nature Publishing
Commentaries and Reviews
Rogers CD, Amemiya C, Arur S, Babonis L, Barresi M, Bartlett M, Behringer R, Benham-Pyle B, Bergmann D, Blackman B, Brown CT, Browne B, Camacho J, Chabu CY, Chow I, Cleaver O, Cool J, Dennis MY, Dickinson AJ, Di Talia S, Frank M, Gillmor S, Haag ES, Hariharan I, Harland R, Husbands A, Jerome-Majewska L, Koenig K, Labonne C, Layden M, Lowe C, Mani M, Martik M, McKown K, Moens C, Mosimann C, Onyenedum J, Reed R, Rivera A, Rokhsar D, Royer L, Rutaganira F, Shahan R, Sinha N, Swalla B, Van Norman JM, Wagner DE, Wikramanayake A, Zebell S, Brady SM. Pluripotency of a founding field: rebranding developmental biology. Development 151(3) (2024). doi: 10.1242/dev.202342
Benham-Pyle BW, Modified Messengers: flatworm stem cells and regeneration are guarded by RNA methylation.EMBO Journal 41(21), e112435 (2022) DOI: 10.15252/embj.2022112435
Work from Blair’s Graduate Training
Benham-Pyle BW, Sim JY, Hart KC, Pruitt BL, Nelson WJ. Increasing β-catenin/Wnt3A activity levels drive mechanical strain-induced cell cycle progression through mitosis.eLife 19799 (2016) DOI: 10.7554/eLife.19799
Tan J*, Benham-Pyle BW*,Weis W, Nelson WJ. Regulation of cadherin-catenin biology by mechanical force and phosphorylation in S. Suzuki, S. Hirano The Cadherin Superfamily (2016) * Authors contributed equally to the work
Benham-Pyle BW, Pruitt BL, Nelson WJ. Mechanical strain induces E-cadherin-dependent Yap1 and β-catenin activation to drive cell cycle entry. Science348, 1024-1027 (2015). DOI: 10.1126/science.aaa4559
Highlighted In: Baumann, K, Mechanotransduction: Adhesion forces promote transcription, Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 16, 390-391 (2015) DOI: 10.1038/nrm4017
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