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The remarkable ability of salamanders to regenerate is not just limited to limbs but extends to vital organs such as the heart, jaw, and parts of the spinal cord, showing their uniqueness compared to different types of vertebrates. This ability is most remarkable for occurring without any type of scarring. This has made salamanders ...
Beetle larvae, for example, can regenerate amputated limbs. Fruit fly larvae do not have limbs but can regenerate their appendage primordia, imaginal discs. [30] In both systems, the regrowth of the new tissue delays pupation. [30] [31] Mechanisms underlying appendage limb regeneration in insects and crustaceans are highly conserved. [32]
Similar to other salamanders, P. waltl can regenerate lost limbs, injured heart tissue, lesioned brain cells in addition to other body parts such as the eye lens and the spinal cord. The 20 Gb genome of P. waltl has been sequenced to facilitate research into the genetic basis of this extraordinary regenerative ability.
A white-headed dwarf gecko with tail lost due to autotomy. Autotomy (from the Greek auto-, "self-" and tome, "severing", αὐτοτομία) or 'self-amputation', is the behaviour whereby an animal sheds or discards an appendage, [1] usually as a self-defense mechanism to elude a predator's grasp or to distract the predator and thereby allow escape.
Newts share many of the characteristics of their salamander kin, Caudata, including semipermeable glandular skin, four equal-sized limbs, and a distinct tail. The newt's skin, however, is not as smooth as that of other salamanders. [9]
These fibroblasts multiply to form a blastema, the progenitor for a new limb. [7] An important model organism for studying limb regeneration is Ambystoma mexicanum, a neotenic salamander with exceptional regenerative capabilities. [8] Limb regeneration in these salamanders involves the blastema.
During regeneration, only cartilage cells can form new cartilage tissue, only muscle cells can form new muscle tissue, and so on. The dedifferentiated cells still retain their original specification. [12] To begin the physical formation of a new limb, regeneration occurs in a distal to proximal sequence. [17]
Hox genes play a massive role in some amphibians and reptiles in their ability to regenerate lost limbs, especially HoxA and HoxD genes. [1]If the processes involved in forming new tissue can be reverse-engineered into humans, it may be possible to heal injuries of the spinal cord or brain, repair damaged organs and reduce scarring and fibrosis after surgery.