Studying Echinodermata Arm Explant Regeneration Using Echinaster sepositus

Echinoderms are marine invertebrate deuterostomes known for their amazing regenerative abilities throughout all life stages. Though some species can undergo whole-body regeneration (WBR), others exhibit more restricted regenerative capabilities. Asteroidea (starfish) comprise one of the few echinoderm taxa capable of undergoing WBR. Indeed, some starfish species can restore all tissues and organs not only during larval stages, but also from arm fragments as adults. Arm explants have been used to study cells, tissues and genes involved in starfish regeneration. Here, we describe methods for obtaining and studying regeneration of arm explants in starfish, in particular animal collection and husbandry, preparation of arm explants, regeneration tests, microscopic anatomy techniques (including transmission electron microscopy, TEM) used to analyze the regenerating explant tissues and cells plus a downstream RNA extraction protocol needed for subsequent molecular investigations.