Organ and Appendage Regeneration in the Axolotl

Farkas, Johanna E; Erler, Piril; Freitas, Polina D.; Sweeney, Alexandra E.; Monaghan, James R.

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-27583-3_7

Cited by 4 publications

(6 citation statements)

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“…Extensive research has been conducted on axolotl appendage regeneration (limbs and tails) and a few organs (eye, central nervous system, heart, and reproductive system). Yet, there is no evidence as far as we know of their abilities to regenerate lung tissue 6 . In this study, we determine whether the axolotl regenerates lung tissue after amputation of the distal portion of one lung.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

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Lung injury in axolotl salamanders induces an organ‐wide proliferation response

Jensen

Giunta

Schultz

et al. 2021

Developmental Dynamics

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Background: Ambystoma mexicanum, the axolotl salamander, is a classic model organism used to study vertebrate regeneration. It is assumed that axolotls regenerate most tissues, but the exploration of lung regeneration has not been performed until now. Results: Unlike the blastema-based response used during appendage regeneration, lung amputation led to organ-wide proliferation. Pneumocytes and mesenchymal cells responded to injury by increased proliferation throughout the injured lung, which led to a recovery in lung mass and morphology by 56 days post-amputation. Receptors associated with the Neuregulin signaling pathway were upregulated at one and 3 weeks post lung amputation. We show expression of the ligand, neuregulin, in the I/X cranial nerve that innervates the lung and cells within the lung. Supplemental administration of Neuregulin peptide induced widespread proliferation in the lung similar to an injury response, suggesting that neuregulin signaling may play a significant role during lung regeneration. Conclusion:Our study characterizes axolotl lung regeneration. We show that the lung responds to injury by an organ-wide proliferative response of multiple cell types, including pneumocytes, to recover lung mass.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Yet, there is no evidence as far as we know of their abilities to regenerate lung tissue. 6 In this study, we determine whether the axolotl regenerates lung tissue after amputation of the distal portion of one lung.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lung injury in axolotl salamanders induces an organ‐wide proliferation response

Jensen

Giunta

Schultz

et al. 2021

Developmental Dynamics

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“…Animals such as urodele amphibians and teleost fish retain the ability to regenerate complex tissues into adulthood, while other animals including mammals do not. Salamanders in particular regenerate a range of tissues including limbs, tails, spinal cord, brain, and heart, but it is unknown if salamanders regenerate sexual organs . Furthermore, the cellular basis for regeneration in urodeles is just emerging in most organs and it is unclear whether regeneration is driven by resident stem cells or through cellular dedifferentiation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Regulation of Injury-Induced Ovarian Regeneration by Activation of Oogonial Stem Cells

2016

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Some animals have the ability to generate large numbers of oocytes throughout life. This raises the question whether persistent adult germline stem cell populations drive continuous oogenesis and whether they are capable of mounting a regenerative response after injury. Here we demonstrate the presence of adult oogonial stem cells (OSCs) in the adult axolotl salamander ovary and show that ovarian injury induces OSC activation and functional regeneration of the ovaries to reproductive capability. Cells that have morphological similarities to germ cells were identified in the developing and adult ovaries via histological analysis. Genes involved in germ cell maintenance including Vasa, Oct4, Sox2, Nanog, Bmp15, Piwil1, Piwil2, Dazl, and Lhx8 were expressed in the presumptive OSCs. Colocalization of Vasa protein with H3 mitotic marker showed that both oogonial and spermatogonial adult stem cells were mitotically active. Providing evidence of stemness and viability of adult OSCs, enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) adult OSCs grafted into white juvenile host gonads gave rise to EGFP OSCs, and oocytes. Last, the axolotl ovaries completely regenerated after partial ovariectomy injury. During regeneration, OSC activation resulted in rapid differentiation into new oocytes, which was demonstrated by Vasa 1 /BrdU 1 coexpression. Furthermore, follicle cell proliferation promoted follicle maturation during ovarian regeneration. Overall, these results show that adult oogenesis occurs via proliferation of endogenous OSCs in a tetrapod and mediates ovarian regeneration. This study lays the foundations to elucidate mechanisms of ovarian regeneration that will assist regenerative medicine in treating premature ovarian failure and reduced fertility. STEM CELLS 2017;35:236-247 SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTStem cells that orchestrate ovarian regeneration have never been studied in the axolotl. This animal can regenerate many tissues perfectly, thus studying the underlying mechanisms of ovarian regeneration in this organism has great potential for translational outcomes. Many women suffer from premature ovarian failure and reduced fertility. With recent understanding of oogonial stem cells in vertebrates, inducing ovarian regeneration by therapeutic means is a desired application. Deciphering initiation and progression of ovarian regeneration via oogonial stem cells, in an animal that shows conservation of genes utilized in mammalian oogenesis, has great potential impact in the field of regenerative medicine.

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“…These new powers include improved healing, the replacement of damaged tissues, the regeneration of limbs and organs, and even the reversal of aging. Scientists have supported these claims through research with model organisms and by making cross‐species comparisons, in particular between the human and the axolotl (Bryant, Endo, and Gardiner 2002; Farkas et al 2016). As Sarah Franklin (2007, 33) has argued, in a postgenomic age scientists are reimagining the limits of biology, envisioning biological systems as “plastic, flexible, and partible.” For regenerative biologists, the axolotl embodies this flexibility.…”

Section: Flexibility and Its Limitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Due to its large size, it has only recently been sequenced (Nowoshilow et al 2018). Researchers hope that studies of the axolotl genome will allow them to better understand which genes related to regeneration have been conserved across species and how their regulation differs in mammals and salamanders (Koshiba et al 1998; Farkas et al 2016; Hutchins and Kusumi 2016).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Axolotl in Global Circuits of Knowledge Production: Producing Multispecies Potentiality

Wanderer

2018

Cult. Anthropol.

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The axolotl is a noteworthy species of salamander, one both biologically remarkable and culturally significant. Native to the canals of Xochimilco, a neighborhood in Mexico City, the charismatic species has deep connections to Mexican history and identity, as well as serving as an important model organism for scientists studying regenerative biology. Drawing on fieldwork in Mexico with restoration ecologists engaged in conserving axolotl habitats, as well as on scientific papers and informal communications among scientists who use axolotls as model organisms, I examine the fate of the axolotl in and out of Xochimilco. Taking up the lives of both wild and cultivated axolotls, this essay asks what is at stake when a species is eliminated from one anthropogenic environment, the canals of Xochimilco, while being made to live in another, the laboratories of scientists studying developmental and regenerative biology. In the lab, axolotls are interpreted as plastic and flexible, potential models for reconfiguring human capabilities, injury, and aging. In the wild, the axolotl is a fragile sentinel species in need of protection that serves as an indicator of the fragility of the ecosystem more broadly. Conservationists interpret its failure to thrive as a message to human populations to reform and reconsider how they live in relation to the environment. This essay demonstrates how, through scientists’ care, axolotls come to represent different forms of potential and produce different insights into human life, enabling distinct imaginings of the future.

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Organ and Appendage Regeneration in the Axolotl

Cited by 4 publications

References 171 publications

Lung injury in axolotl salamanders induces an organ‐wide proliferation response

Lung injury in axolotl salamanders induces an organ‐wide proliferation response

Regulation of Injury-Induced Ovarian Regeneration by Activation of Oogonial Stem Cells

The Axolotl in Global Circuits of Knowledge Production: Producing Multispecies Potentiality

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