Common themes in tetrapod appendage regeneration: a cellular perspective

Abstract

Complete and perfect regeneration of appendages is a process that has fascinated and perplexed biologists for centuries. Some tetrapods possess amazing regenerative abilities, but the regenerative abilities of others are exceedingly limited. The reasons underlying these differences have largely remained mysterious. A great deal has been learned about the morphological events that accompany successful appendage regeneration, and a handful of experimental manipulations can be reliably applied to block the process. However, only in the last decade has the goal of attaining a thorough molecular and cellular biological understanding of appendage regeneration in tetrapods become within reach. Advances in molecular and genetic tools for interrogating these remarkable events are now allowing for unprecedented access to the fundamental biology at work in appendage regeneration in a variety of species. This information will be critical for integrating the large body of detailed observations from previous centuries with a modern understanding of how cells sense and respond to severe injury and loss of body parts. Understanding commonalities between regenerative modes across diverse species is likely to illuminate the most important aspects of complex tissue regeneration.

The Biophysics of Regenerative Repair Suggests New Perspectives on Biological Causation

“…Copyright 2011, American Association for Anatomy. (F,G) Reproduced with permission . Copyright 2019, Springer Nature.…”

Robust phenotypic maintenance of limb cells during heterogeneous culture in a physiologically relevant polymeric-based constructed graft system

“…The simultaneous regeneration of multiple tissues is a complex process and requires the presence of different cell phenotypes that are able to maintain their relative physiological functions and phenotypic characteristics within one complex and heterogeneous environment to enable the regeneration of the distinct multi-tissue units 3,4 . However, one of the current major challenges during the regeneration of multiple tissues is the ability to maintain the physiological functions and phenotypic characteristics of distinct types of cells in one milieu.…”

Genetic, epigenetic, and post‐transcriptional basis of divergent tissue regenerative capacities among vertebrates

“…Contemporary vertebrate appendage regeneration models follow a similar order of events: epithelial closure of the wound site, establishment of a wound epithelium, dedifferentiation or activation of cells leading to epimorphic blastema formation, and proliferation and redifferentiation of progenitor cells to regenerate various appendage cell types in a lineage‐restricted manner (or what appears to be lineage‐restricted in species thoroughly investigated thus far) 12 . The model is not all‐encompassing: morphologically simpler vertebrates can fully regenerate appendages, while more complex vertebrates generally possess extremely limited appendage regeneration.…”