Loss of differentiating nematocytes induced by regeneration and wound healing in Hydra.

Cell death was observed in the nematocyte differentiation pathway in Hydra during head and foot regeneration. This death occurs throughout the regenerating piece, is transient in nature and is selective for committed stenotele and desmoneme precursors. Proliferating nematoblasts are unaffected. Cell death appears to be caused by release of a toxic factor rather than loss of a hormone required for differentiation, since regenerating pieces released a factor that inactivated differentiating nematocytes, and injured animals that had intact head and foot tissue also lost differentiating nematocytes. The inactivated nematocytes are removed by phagocytosis by epitheliomuscular cells.