Many children have tried: cut off a lizard tail to see how it grows back. But the amazing regenerative capacity of these animals also intrigues science.
Understanding in detail how this natural mystery works, experts say, could be the first step in developing ways to stimulate limb regeneration in humans.
Now a team of researchers from Arizona State University in the United States, has discovered what they call genetic “recipe” for the regeneration of the lizard tail something like the perfect blend of ingredients in genetic perspective.
To do this, the researchers used molecular techniques of analysis and examined the genes involved in the regeneration of lizard Anolis carolinensis , an animal when caught by a predator can spontaneously detach the tail and then make it grow again.
“Using advanced technology to sequence all the genes that are expressed during regeneration, have unraveled the mystery of how genes are needed to regrow the tail of a lizard, “said Kenro Kusumi, lead author of the study published in the journal PLoS ONE.
“And follow the genetic recipe found in lizards, and then use those same genes in human cells, it may be possible to regenerate new cartilage, muscle and even bone marrow in the future.”
Genetic tools for humans
Other animals, such as salamanders, tadpoles and fish can regenerate their tails, which usually grow at the tip.
They all put genes in action a process that requires the control of stem cells in organs such as the brain, hair follicles and blood vessels. But lizards are special. They have a unique pattern distributed along the tail growing
“The lizards are a complex structure of cell regeneration growing in tissue at various locations along the tail, “said Elizabeth Hutchins, co-author of the study.
As Kusumi explains, the lizards are the closest human animal appendages can regenerate whole . “They use basically the same ‘toolbox’ human genetics,” said the researcher.
to see closely identify those tools, Kusumi and his team performed the first transcriptome analysis of regenerating lizard tail, ie investigated which genetic material is expressed in cells involved in the process of growing a new limb.
“We found that are activated at least 326 genes in specific regions of the regeneration of the tail, including genes involved in embryonic development , in response to hormonal signals and wound healing, “explained the scientist.
so, encouraged their laboratory lizards shed their tails original by applying pressure, and thus able to examine in detail the new development.
“Regeneration is not an instantaneous process. Indeed, they takes more than 60 days to regenerate a functional tail , “said Hutchins.
The scientists found that the design and structure of the tail end are different from embryonic development and regeneration process.
“While the skeleton and the original muscle groups of the tail are organized by segment, reflecting the embryonic design, regenerated tail is a single cartilaginous tube unsegmented surrounded by muscle wrapping” the authors write in their study.
They hope that this finding will help develop new therapies for spinal cord injuries, birth defects to repair or treat diseases such as arthritis.
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