Regeneration of Vertebrate Appendages

Patrizia Ferretti, Institute of Child Health, University College London, UK

Published online: April 2006

DOI: 10.1038/npg.els.0004215

Some vertebrates can replace complex parts of their body, a feature that is more commonly observed in invertebrates. They can perform this remarkable task because of their capacity to recruit progenitor cells and activate developmental programmes that largely parallel those used during embryogenesis.

Keywords: regeneration; blastema; limb; fin; antler

Figure 1. (a) Successive stages of regeneration and their approximate time course after limb amputation in the adult newt, Notophthalmus viridescens. Following wound healing blastemal cells accumulate at the tip of the stump by a process of dedifferentiation, and they start to proliferate under the influence of the nerve and the thickened wound epithelium within 1 week after amputation. A clear blastema is usually clearly visible by 2 weeks. Between 2 and 3 weeks after amputation proliferation becomes nerve independent and differentiation begins. (b) Schematic representation of a limb stump and blastema; differentiation, once it starts, proceeds in a proximodistal direction. AEC, apical epithelial cap; B, bone; M, muscle; N, nerve.
Figure 2. Schematic representation of a normal pectoral fin skeleton (a) and of lepidotrichia in longitudinal (b) and cross-section (c). (d) Schematic representation of ray stump and blastema. (e) Micrographs of cross- and longitudinal sections of normal fin and regenerating fins 1 and 5 days after amputation; B, bone; bv, blood vessel.
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 References
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 Further Reading
    book Brockes JP (1998) "Progenitor cells for regeneration: origin by reversal of the differentiated state". In: Ferretti P and Géraudie J (eds) Cellular and Molecular Basis of Regeneration: From Invertebrates to Humans, pp. 63–77. Chichester: Wiley
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Related Sub-Topics:

Regeneration: Vertebrates
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Article Title: Regeneration of Vertebrate Appendages
 
How to Cite close
Ferretti, Patrizia(Apr 2006) Regeneration of Vertebrate Appendages. In: eLS. John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester. http://www.els.net [doi: 10.1038/npg.els.0004215]