Gene expression dynamics during regeneration of Eisenia fetida

Earthworms show a wide spectrum of regenerative potential with certain species like Eisenia fetida, a terrestrial redworm, capable of regenerating more than two-thirds of their body while other closely related species, such as Paranais litoralis seem to have lost this ability. Earthworms belong to the phylum annelida, in which the genomes of the marine oligochaete Capitella telata, and the freshwater leech Helobdella robusta have been sequenced and studied. Herein, we report the de novo assembled transcriptome of Eisenia fetida (Indian isolate), along with an analysis of the transcriptomic changes during regeneration. We also used de novo assembled RNAseq data to identify genes that are differentially expressed during regeneration, both in the newly regenerating cells and in the adjacent tissue. Overall design: Gene Expression profiles of E.fetida, before and 15,20 or 30 days after cutting were generated by deep sequencing, in triplicate, using Illumina.