Stem Cell Reports, 2013 · DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2013.03.002 · Published: June 4, 2013
The salamander is the only tetrapod that regenerates complex body structures throughout life. This study introduces a comprehensive set of germline transgenic strains in the axolotl to facilitate cellular and molecular genetic dissection of regeneration. The researchers created transgenic axolotl lines with tissue-specific gene expression in nerve, Schwann cells, oligodendrocytes, muscle, epidermis, and cartilage. This allows for controlled study of how these tissues contribute to regeneration. The study also demonstrates the use of tamoxifen-induced Cre/loxP-mediated recombination to indelibly mark different cell types and inducibly overexpress the cell-cycle inhibitor p16INK4a, which negatively regulates spinal cord regeneration. These tools make the axolotl amenable for molecular analysis of regeneration.
The generated transgenic lines enable the tracking of specific cell types during axolotl regeneration, providing insights into their roles and behaviors.
The Cre/loxP system allows for precise temporal and spatial control of gene expression, facilitating the study of gene function during regeneration and development.
The developed tools and insights will help investigate the mechanistic basis of regeneration in a vertebrate and its restriction in other animals.