Axolotl: A resourceful vertebrate model for regeneration and beyond

Abstract

The regenerative capacity varies significantly among the animal kingdom. Successful regeneration program in some animals results in the functional restoration of tissues and lost structures. Among the highly regenerative animals, axolotl provides multiple experimental advantages with its many extraordinary characteristics. It has been positioned as a regeneration model organism due to its exceptional renewal capacity, including the internal organs, central nervous system, and appendages, in a scar-free manner. In addition to this unique regeneration ability, the observed low cancer incidence, its resistance to carcinogens, and the reversing effect of its cell extract on neoplasms strongly suggest its usability in cancer research. Axolotl's longevity and efficient utilization of several anti-aging mechanisms underline its potential to be employed in aging studies.

Temporal Microbiome Changes in Axolotl Limb Regeneration: Stage-Specific Restructuring of Bacterial and Fungal Communities with aFlavobacteriumBloom During Blastema Proliferation

“…The axolotl, with its remarkable ability to regenerate limbs and organs due to sustained neoteny, has strongly attracted the attention of scientific community for translational medicine research 3 . Despite its recently sequenced expansive genome 25 , studies on the axolotl microbiome are very limited.…”

“…Despite its complexity, limb regeneration in axolotls unfolds systematically in a stepwise manner. Indeed, it is well established that the regeneration progresses over distinct interdependent stages according to morphogenesis 3 . These sequential phases encompass wound healing, dedifferentiation (highlighted by blastema establishment) and re-development stages of regeneration, respectively [4][5][6] .…”

Key Proteins for Regeneration inA. mexicanum: Transcriptomic Insights from Aged and Juvenile Limbs

“…The Ambystoma mexicanum , commonly known as axolotl, is a salamander that captivates scientists due to its exceptional characteristics (Bölük et al, 2022). Unlike other amphibians, axolotls exhibit neoteny, maintaining larval features while achieving sexual maturity (Sámano et al, 2021).…”