Tail Tales: What We Have Learned About Regeneration from Xenopus Laevis Tadpoles

Regenerative medicine aims to repair or replace damaged tissues and organs to improve the quality of life for individuals suffering from injuries and diseases. Regeneration is a biological process where an organism can replace lost or damaged tissues. There are different types of regeneration, including epimorphosis, morphallaxis, compensatory, and stem cell-mediated, each characterized by different mechanisms. These processes offer unique insights for regenerative medicine and therapies. Amphibians, like Xenopus laevis, have varying regenerative capacities throughout their development, making them useful models. Tadpoles can regrow tails and limbs at certain stages, allowing scientists to study regeneration-competent and -incompetent phases.

• 1
  Regeneration-organizing cells (ROCs) are essential for tail regeneration. They migrate to the amputation plane and secrete ligands like TGFβ, FGFs, BMPs, and Wnts that promote proliferation in progenitor cells.
• 2
  Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a crucial role in X. laevis tail regeneration. After tail amputation, there is an influx of extracellular oxygen, and ROS levels remain high during the first four days.
• 3
  Mechanotransduction, particularly through the Hippo/YAP pathway, is vital for tail regeneration. YAP is expressed in the regenerating tailbud, and active YAP transcription is required for tail regeneration in a cell-autonomous manner.