The African clawed frog Xenopus laevis : A model organism to study regeneration of the central nervous system

Lee-Liu, Dasfne; Méndez-Olivos, Emilio E.; Muñoz, Rosana; Larraı́n, Juan

doi:10.1016/j.neulet.2016.09.054

Cited by 58 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 94 publications

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“…Metamorphosis in anuran amphibians marks a drastic decline in the ability to regenerate the CNS. Larvae can recover from a complete transection through the spinal cord (developmental stage 50–66), as well as regrow a spinal cord in a regenerating tail (developmental stage 43–52) (Lee‐Liu et al , ), but adult anurans lack tails and exhibit only limited axonal regeneration in the spinal cord, failing to repair lesions (Liuzzi and Lasek, ; Beattie et al , ; Taniguchi et al , ). Xenopus species also undergo an interesting “refractory period,” when tail resorption has not yet occurred, but injured tails heal over without regeneration (Beck et al , ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spinal Cord Regeneration in Amphibians: A Historical Perspective

Freitas

Yandulskaya

Monaghan

2019

Developmental Neurobiology

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In some vertebrates, a grave injury to the central nervous system (CNS) results in functional restoration, rather than in permanent incapacitation. Understanding how these animals mount a regenerative response by activating resident CNS stem cell populations is of critical importance in regenerative biology. Amphibians are of a particular interest in the field because the regenerative ability is present throughout life in urodele species, but in anuran species it is lost during development. Studying amphibians, who transition from a regenerative to a nonregenerative state, could give insight into the loss of ability to recover from CNS damage in mammals. Here, we highlight the current knowledge of spinal cord regeneration across vertebrates and identify commonalities and differences in spinal cord regeneration between amphibians.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spinal Cord Regeneration in Amphibians: A Historical Perspective

Freitas

Yandulskaya

Monaghan

2019

Developmental Neurobiology

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“…Since the mid‐20th century, the African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis , has become one of the most widely used model organisms in biology (Harland & Grainger, ; Porro & Richards, ). Especially in neurobiology, Xenopus embryos, tadpoles, and adults are used as models in pathological, developmental, physiological, and behavioral studies (Cannatella & De Sa, ; Cervino, Paz, & Frontera, ; Cline & Kelly, ; Dong et al, ; Edwards‐Faret et al, ; Frankenhaeuser & Huxley, ; Gouchie, Roberts, & Wassersug, ; Katz, Potel, & Wassersug, ; Lee‐Liu, Méndez‐Olivos, Muñoz, & Larraín, ; McKeown, Sharma, Sharipov, Shen, & Cline, ; Moreno, Tapia, & Larrain, ; Pieper, Eagleson, Wosniok, & Schlosser, ; Pratt & Khakhalin, ; Roberts, Walford, Soffe, & Yoshida, ; Schlosser & Northcutt, ; Simmons, Costa, & Gerstein, ; Wassersug & Hessler, ; Young & Poo, ). It is therefore surprising, that only one study (Paterson, ) on the anatomy of the cranial nerves of X. laevis tadpoles exists.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Three‐dimensional reconstruction of the cranial and anterior spinal nerves in early tadpoles of Xenopus laevis (Pipidae, Anura)

Naumann

Olsson

2017

J of Comparative Neurology

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Xenopus laevis is one of the most widely used model organism in neurobiology. It is therefore surprising, that no detailed and complete description of the cranial nerves exists for this species. Using classical histological sectioning in combination with fluorescent whole mount antibody staining and micro-computed tomography we prepared a detailed innervation map and a freely-rotatable three-dimensional (3D) model of the cranial nerves and anterior-most spinal nerves of early X. laevis tadpoles. Our results confirm earlier descriptions of the pre-otic cranial nerves and present the first detailed description of the post-otic cranial nerves. Tracing the innervation, we found two previously undescribed head muscles (the processo-articularis and diaphragmatico-branchialis muscles) in X. laevis. Data on the cranial nerve morphology of tadpoles are scarce, and only one other species (Discoglossus pictus) has been described in great detail. A comparison of Xenopus and Discoglossus reveals a relatively conserved pattern of the post-otic and a more variable morphology of the pre-otic cranial nerves. Furthermore, the innervation map and the 3D models presented here can serve as an easily accessible basis to identify alterations of the innervation produced by experimental studies such as genetic gain- and loss of function experiments.

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“…Contrary to mammals, other vertebrates such as teleost fishes, urodele and anuran amphibians regenerate the spinal cord after injury (Becker, Wullimann, Becker, Bernhardt, & Schachner, ; Clarke, Alexander, & Holder, ; Filoni, Bosco, & Cioni, ). These model organisms are very useful to study how regenerative mechanisms such as neurogenesis and axon regeneration occur after SCI (Becker & Becker, ; Diaz‐Quiroz & Echeverri, ; Lee‐Liu, Edwards‐Faret, Tapia, & Larraín, ; Lee‐Liu, Méndez‐Olivos, Muñoz, & Larraín ; Tanaka & Ferretti, ). Between these regenerative models, anurans such as Xenopus laevis are an interesting model to study regeneration due to a stage‐dependent regenerative ability.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

JAK-STAT pathway activation in response to spinal cord injury in regenerative and non-regenerative stages ofXenopus laevis

2017

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Xenopus laevis tadpoles can regenerate the spinal cord after injury but this capability is lost during metamorphosis. Comparative studies between pre‐metamorphic and metamorphic Xenopus stages can aid towards understanding the molecular mechanisms of spinal cord regeneration. Analysis of a previous transcriptome‐wide study suggests that, in response to injury, the JAK‐STAT pathway is differentially activated in regenerative and non‐regenerative stages. We characterized the activation of the JAK‐STAT pathway and found that regenerative tadpoles have an early and transient activation. In contrast, the non‐regenerative stages have a delayed and sustained activation of the pathway. We found that STAT3 is activated in response to injury mainly in Sox2/3+ ependymal cells, motoneurons and sensory neurons. Finally, to study the role of temporal activation we generated a transgenic line to express a constitutively active version of STAT3. The sustained activation of the JAK‐STAT pathway in regenerative tadpoles reduced the expression of pro‐neurogenic genes normally upregulated in response to spinal cord injury, suggesting that activation of the JAK‐STAT pathway modulates the fate of neural progenitors.

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The African clawed frog Xenopus laevis : A model organism to study regeneration of the central nervous system

Cited by 58 publications

References 94 publications

Spinal Cord Regeneration in Amphibians: A Historical Perspective

Spinal Cord Regeneration in Amphibians: A Historical Perspective

Three‐dimensional reconstruction of the cranial and anterior spinal nerves in early tadpoles of Xenopus laevis (Pipidae, Anura)

JAK-STAT pathway activation in response to spinal cord injury in regenerative and non-regenerative stages ofXenopus laevis

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