Regeneration potency of mouse limbs
- 28 February 2007
- journal article
- Published by Wiley in Development, Growth & Differentiation
- Vol. 49 (2), 89-98
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-169x.2007.00909.x
Abstract
Mammalians have a low potency for limb regeneration compared to that of amphibians. One explanation for the low potency is the deficiency of cells for regenerating amputated limbs in mammals. Amphibians can form a blastema with dedifferentiated cells, but mammals have few such cells. In this paper, we report limb formation, especially bone/cartilage formation in amputated limbs, because bone/cartilage formation is a basic step in limb pattern regeneration. After the amputation of limbs of a neonatal mouse, hypertrophy of the stump bone was observed at the amputation site, which was preceded by cell proliferation and cartilage formation. However, no new elements of bone/cartilage were formed. Thus, we grafted limb buds of mouse embryo into amputated limbs of neonatal mice. When the intact limb bud of a transgenic green fluorescent protein (GFP) mouse was grafted to the limb stump after amputation at the digit joint level, the grafted limb bud grew and differentiated into bone, cartilage and soft tissues, and it formed a segmented pattern that was constituted by bone and cartilage. The skeletal pattern was more complicated when limb buds at advanced stages were used. To examine if the grafted limb bud autonomously develops a limb or interacts with stump tissue to form a limb, the limb bud was dissociated into single cells and reaggregated before grafting. The reaggregated limb bud cells formed similar digit-like bone/cartilage structures. The reaggregated grafts also formed segmented cartilage. When the reaggregates of bone marrow mesenchymal cells were grafted into the stump, these cells formed cartilage, as do limb bud cells. Finally, to examine the potency of new bone formation in the stump tissue without exogenously supplied cells, we grafted gelatin gel containing BMP-7. BMP induced formation of several new bone elements, which was preceded by cartilage formation. The results suggest that the environmental tissues of the stump allow the formation of cartilage and bone at least partially, and that limb formation will be possible by supplying competent cells endogenously or exogenously in the future.Keywords
This publication has 31 references indexed in Scilit:
- Real-time monitoring of stress erythropoiesis in vivo using Gata1 and β-globin LCR luciferase transgenic miceBlood, 2006
- Intercalary regeneration in planariansDevelopmental Dynamics, 2003
- Plasticity and reprogramming of differentiated cells in amphibian regenerationNature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, 2002
- Pluripotency of mesenchymal stem cells derived from adult marrowNature, 2002
- Multilineage Cells from Human Adipose Tissue: Implications for Cell-Based TherapiesTissue Engineering, 2001
- Cloning of mouse FGF10 and up-regulation of its gene expression during wound healing.Gene, 1997
- The Tetrahymena chaperonin subunit CCTη gene is coexpressed with CCTγ gene during cilia biogenesis and cell sexual reproductionFEBS Letters, 1996
- Mesenchymal stem cellsJournal of Orthopaedic Research, 1991
- Bone healing after amputation of mouse digits and newt limbs: Implications for induced regeneration in mammalsThe Anatomical Record, 1985
- Trapped fingers and amputated finger tips in childrenJournal of Pediatric Surgery, 1974