Salamander-like tail regeneration in the West African lungfish

The study investigates tail regeneration in the West African lungfish, a close relative of tetrapods, and finds that it regenerates its tail in a manner similar to salamanders. This includes forming a blastema, restoring original structures like muscle, skeleton, and spinal cord, and requiring Shh signaling. The research uses RNA sequencing to analyze the genes involved in lungfish tail regeneration, revealing a genetic program that shares significant overlap with that of tetrapods, particularly amphibians and lizards. This suggests that the ability to regenerate tails in this way may have been present in the common ancestor of lungfish and tetrapods. The lungfish tail blastema also showed increased activity of transposon-derived genes and RNA processing components, hinting at unique aspects of its regenerative process. Overall, the study establishes the lungfish as a valuable model for studying regenerative biology and understanding the evolution of regeneration.

• 1
  Lungfish tail regeneration closely resembles that of salamanders, involving the formation of a blastema and restoration of original tail structures, including muscle, skeleton, and spinal cord.
• 2
  Lungfish tail regeneration depends on Shh signaling, similar to salamanders and frog tadpoles, suggesting this requirement is an ancestral trait.
• 3
  RNA-seq analysis reveals that the genetic program of lungfish tail regeneration shares significant overlap with that of tetrapods, with upregulation of genes and pathways previously implicated in amphibian and lizard tail regeneration.