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Huang L, Ho C, Ye X, Gao Y, Guo W, Chen J, Sun J, Wen D, Liu Y, Liu Y, Zhang Y, Li Q. Mechanisms and translational applications of regeneration in limbs: From renewable animals to humans. Ann Anat 2024; 255:152288. [PMID: 38823491 DOI: 10.1016/j.aanat.2024.152288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 06/03/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The regenerative capacity of organisms declines throughout evolution, and mammals lack the ability to regenerate limbs after injury. Past approaches to achieving successful restoration through pharmacological intervention, tissue engineering, and cell therapies have faced significant challenges. OBJECTIVES This review aims to provide an overview of the current understanding of the mechanisms behind animal limb regeneration and the successful translation of these mechanisms for human tissue regeneration. RESULTS Particular attention was paid to the Mexican axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum), the only adult tetrapod capable of limb regeneration. We will explore fundamental questions surrounding limb regeneration, such as how amputation initiates regeneration, how the limb knows when to stop and which parts to regenerate, and how these findings can apply to mammalian systems. CONCLUSIONS Given the urgent need for regenerative therapies to treat conditions like diabetic foot ulcers and trauma survivors, this review provides valuable insights and ideas for researchers, clinicians, and biomedical engineers seeking to facilitate the regeneration process or elicit full regeneration from partial regeneration events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Huang
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhizaoju Road, Shanghai 200011, China; Department of Ophthalmology, Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Chiakang Ho
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhizaoju Road, Shanghai 200011, China
| | - Xinran Ye
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhizaoju Road, Shanghai 200011, China
| | - Ya Gao
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhizaoju Road, Shanghai 200011, China
| | - Weiming Guo
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology, 639 Zhizaoju Road, Shanghai 200011, China; National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shanghai 200011, China; National Center for Stomatology, Shanghai 200011, China; College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200011, China; Department of Orthodontics, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhizaoju Road, Shanghai 200011, China
| | - Julie Chen
- Department of Ophthalmology, Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jiaming Sun
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhizaoju Road, Shanghai 200011, China
| | - Dongsheng Wen
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhizaoju Road, Shanghai 200011, China
| | - Yangdan Liu
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhizaoju Road, Shanghai 200011, China
| | - Yuxin Liu
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhizaoju Road, Shanghai 200011, China
| | - Yifan Zhang
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhizaoju Road, Shanghai 200011, China.
| | - Qingfeng Li
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhizaoju Road, Shanghai 200011, China.
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Kawaguchi A, Wang J, Knapp D, Murawala P, Nowoshilow S, Masselink W, Taniguchi-Sugiura Y, Fei JF, Tanaka EM. A chromatin code for limb segment identity in axolotl limb regeneration. Dev Cell 2024:S1534-5807(24)00300-9. [PMID: 38788714 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2024.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2023] [Revised: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
The salamander limb correctly regenerates missing limb segments because connective tissue cells have segment-specific identities, termed "positional information". How positional information is molecularly encoded at the chromatin level has been unknown. Here, we performed genome-wide chromatin profiling in mature and regenerating axolotl limb connective tissue cells. We find segment-specific levels of histone H3K27me3 as the major positional mark, especially at limb homeoprotein gene loci but not their upstream regulators, constituting an intrinsic segment information code. During regeneration, regeneration-specific regulatory elements became active prior to the re-appearance of developmental regulatory elements. In the hand, the permissive chromatin state of the homeoprotein gene HoxA13 engages with the regeneration program bypassing the upper limb program. Comparison of regeneration regulatory elements with those found in other regenerative animals identified a core shared set of transcription factors, supporting an ancient, conserved regeneration program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akane Kawaguchi
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna BioCenter (VBC), 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Jingkui Wang
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna BioCenter (VBC), 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Dunja Knapp
- DFG Research Center for Regenerative Therapies, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Prayag Murawala
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna BioCenter (VBC), 1030 Vienna, Austria; DFG Research Center for Regenerative Therapies, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Sergej Nowoshilow
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna BioCenter (VBC), 1030 Vienna, Austria; DFG Research Center for Regenerative Therapies, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Wouter Masselink
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna BioCenter (VBC), 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Yuka Taniguchi-Sugiura
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna BioCenter (VBC), 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Ji-Feng Fei
- Department of Pathology, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Elly M Tanaka
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna BioCenter (VBC), 1030 Vienna, Austria.
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Raymond MJ, McCusker CD. Making a new limb out of old cells: exploring endogenous cell reprogramming and its role during limb regeneration. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 2024; 326:C505-C512. [PMID: 38105753 PMCID: PMC11192473 DOI: 10.1152/ajpcell.00233.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Cellular reprogramming is characterized by the induced dedifferentiation of mature cells into a more plastic and potent state. This process can occur through artificial reprogramming manipulations in the laboratory such as nuclear reprogramming and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) generation, and endogenously in vivo during amphibian limb regeneration. In amphibians such as the Mexican axolotl, a regeneration permissive environment is formed by nerve-dependent signaling in the wounded limb tissue. When exposed to these signals, limb connective tissue cells dedifferentiate into a limb progenitor-like state. This state allows the cells to acquire new pattern information, a property called positional plasticity. Here, we review our current understanding of endogenous reprogramming and why it is important for successful regeneration. We will also explore how naturally induced dedifferentiation and plasticity were leveraged to study how the missing pattern is established in the regenerating limb tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Raymond
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Catherine D McCusker
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
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