Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year Filter | PMID(sorted descending) Filter |
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| regulation of axolotl (ambystoma mexicanum) limb blastema cell proliferation by nerves and bmp2 in organotypic slice culture. | we have modified and optimized the technique of organotypic slice culture in order to study the mechanisms regulating growth and pattern formation in regenerating axolotl limb blastemas. blastema cells maintain many of the behaviors that are characteristic of blastemas in vivo when cultured as slices in vitro, including rates of proliferation that are comparable to what has been reported in vivo. because the blastema slices can be cultured in basal medium without fetal bovine serum, it was possi ... | 2015 | 25923915 |
| the history of the oldest self-sustaining laboratory animal: 150 years of axolotl research. | today the mexican axolotl is critically endangered in its natural habitat in lakes around mexico city, but thrives in research laboratories around the world, where it is used for research on development, regeneration, and evolution. here, we concentrate on the early history of the axolotl as a laboratory animal to celebrate that the first living axolotls arrived in paris in 1864, 150 years ago. maybe surprisingly, at first the axolotl was distributed across europe without being tied to specific ... | 2015 | 25920413 |
| analysis of signal processing in vestibular circuits with a novel light-emitting diodes-based fluorescence microscope. | optical visualization of neural network activity is limited by imaging system-dependent technical tradeoffs. to overcome these constraints, we have developed a powerful low-cost and flexible imaging system with high spectral variability and unique spatio-temporal precision for simultaneous optical recording and manipulation of neural activity of large cell groups. the system comprises eight high-power light-emitting diodes, a camera with a large metal-oxide-semiconductor sensor and a high numeri ... | 2015 | 25847143 |
| cooperative regulation of substrate stiffness and extracellular matrix proteins in skin wound healing of axolotls. | urodele amphibians (ambystoma mexicanum), unique among vertebrates, can regenerate appendages and other body parts entirely and functionally through a scar-free healing process. the wound epithelium covering the amputated or damaged site forms early and is essential for initiating the subsequent regenerative steps. however, the molecular mechanism through which the wound reepithelializes during regeneration remains unclear. in this study, we developed an in vitro culture system that mimics an in ... | 2015 | 25839038 |
| characterization of in vitro transcriptional responses of dorsal root ganglia cultured in the presence and absence of blastema cells from regenerating salamander limbs. | during salamander limb regeneration, nerves provide signals that induce the formation of a mass of proliferative cells called the blastema. to better understand these signals, we developed a blastema-dorsal root ganglia (drg) co-culture model system to test the hypothesis that nerves differentially express genes in response to cues provided by the blastema. drg with proximal and distal nerve trunks were isolated from axolotls (ambystoma mexicanum), cultured for five days, and subjected to microa ... | 2014 | 25750744 |
| probability of regenerating a normal limb after bite injury in the mexican axolotl (ambystoma mexicanum). | multiple factors are thought to cause limb abnormalities in amphibian populations by altering processes of limb development and regeneration. we examined adult and juvenile axolotls (ambystoma mexicanum) in the ambystoma genetic stock center (agsc) for limb and digit abnormalities to investigate the probability of normal regeneration after bite injury. we observed that 80% of larval salamanders show evidence of bite injury at the time of transition from group housing to solitary housing. among 7 ... | 2014 | 25745564 |
| sal-site: research resources for the mexican axolotl. | sal-site serves axolotl research efforts by providing web access to genomic data and information, and living stocks that are reared and made available by the ambystoma genetic stock center (agsc). in this chapter, we detail how investigators can search for genes of interest among sal-site resources to identify orthologous nucleotide and protein-coding sequences, determine genome positions within the ambystoma meiotic map, and obtain estimates of gene expression. in the near future, additional ge ... | 2015 | 25740497 |
| transcriptomics using axolotls. | microarray and rna-sequencing technology now exists for the characterization of the ambystoma mexicanum transcriptome. with sufficient replication, these tools give the opportunity to truly investigate gene expression in a variety of experimental paradigms. analysis of data from the amby002 array and rna-sequencing technology can identify genes that change expression levels in concert with each other, which in turn may reveal mechanisms associated with biological processes and molecular function ... | 2015 | 25740496 |
| generating and identifying axolotls with targeted mutations using cas9 rna-guided nuclease. | the crispr/cas9 rna-guided nuclease now enables a reverse genetics approach to investigate the function of genes of interest during regeneration in the axolotl. the process of generating the constructs necessary for targeting a gene of interest is considerably less labor intensive than for other methods of targeted mutagenesis such as zinc finger nucleases or transcription activator-like effector nucleases. here, we describe the identification of targetable sequences in the gene of interest, the ... | 2015 | 25740494 |
| transgenesis in axolotl (ambystoma mexicanum). | transgenic animals have been indispensable in elucidating and deciphering mechanisms underlying various biological phenomena. in regeneration, transgenic animals expressing fluorescent protein genes have been crucial for identifying the source cells for regeneration and the mechanism of blastema formation. animals are usually generated by manipulating their genome using various techniques at/in one cell embryo/fertilized egg stage. here, we describe the generation of germline transgenic axolotls ... | 2015 | 25740493 |
| methods for axolotl blood collection, intravenous injection, and efficient leukocyte isolation from peripheral blood and the regenerating limb. | the vertebrate immune system comprises both adaptive and innate immune cells with distinct functions during the resolution of inflammation and wound healing after tissue injury. recent evidence implicates a requirement for innate immune cells from the myeloid lineage during the early stages of limb regeneration in the mexican axolotl. understanding the functions of innate and adaptive immune cells in the axolotl has been hampered by a lack of approaches to isolate and analyze these cells. here w ... | 2015 | 25740489 |
| culture and transfection of axolotl cells. | the use of cells grown in vitro has been instrumental for multiple aspects of biomedical research and especially molecular and cellular biology. the ability to grow cells from multicellular organisms like humans, squids, or salamanders is important to simplify the analyses and experimental designs to help understand the biology of these organisms. the advent of the first cell culture has allowed scientists to tease apart the cellular functions, and in many situations these experiments help under ... | 2015 | 25740487 |
| in vivo modulation and quantification of micrornas during axolotl tail regeneration. | the ability to regenerate diseased, injured, or missing complex tissue is widespread throughout lower vertebrates and invertebrates; however, our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms that regulate this amazing ability is still in its infancy. many recent papers have shown important roles for micrornas in regulating regeneration in a number of species. the ability to detect and quantify mirna expression fluctuations at a single cell level in vivo in different cell types during processes like reg ... | 2015 | 25740485 |
| thyroxine-induced metamorphosis in the axolotl (ambystoma mexicanum). | the axolotl (ambystoma mexicanum) has remained an important model for regeneration and developmental biology for over a century. although axolotls in captive-bred colonies usually exist in an aquatic form, they retain the ability to undergo metamorphosis following exposure to thyroid hormone. here we present a robust method for inducing metamorphosis in adult axolotls that results in high survivability and produces terrestrial animals that can be maintained in long-term captivity. | 2015 | 25740483 |
| pseudotyped retroviruses for infecting axolotl. | the ability to introduce dna elements into host cells and analyze the effects has revolutionized modern biology. here we describe a protocol to generate moloney murine leukemia virus (mmlv)-based, replication-incompetent pseudotyped retrovirus capable of infecting axolotls and incorporating genetic information into their genome. when pseudotyped with vesicular stomatitis virus (vsv)-g glycoprotein, the retroviruses can infect a broad range of proliferative axolotl cell types. however, if the ret ... | 2015 | 25740482 |
| high-efficiency electroporation of the spinal cord in larval axolotl. | axolotls are well known for their remarkable ability to regenerate complex body parts and structures throughout life, including the entire limb and tail. particularly fascinating is their ability to regenerate a fully functional spinal cord after losing the tail. electroporation of dna plasmids or morpholinos is a valuable tool to gain mechanistic insight into the cellular and molecular basis of regeneration. it provides among other advantages a simple and fast method to test gene function in a ... | 2015 | 25740481 |
| studying newt brain regeneration following subtype specific neuronal ablation. | the realization that neuronal injury does not result in permanent functional or cellular loss in all vertebrates has fascinated regenerative biologists. neuronal regeneration occurs in a subset of species, including lizards, teleost fish, axolotls, and newts. one tool for studying neuronal regeneration in the adult brain is intraventricular injection of selective neuronal toxins, which leads to loss of subpopulations of neurons. to trace cells involved in the regeneration process, plasmids encod ... | 2015 | 25740479 |
| housing and maintenance of ambystoma mexicanum, the mexican axolotl. | the aim of this paper is to assemble a significant amount of information on ambystoma mexicanum, the axolotl salamander, to assist in the basic knowledge needed to raise, breed, and study most aspects of axolotl biology. it is important to understand the basic biology of the axolotl in order to make informed decisions on their proper care and use in experiments. therefore, we will provide necessary information to the non-herpetologist that will assist in their study of this unique and fascinatin ... | 2015 | 25740475 |
| [on the classification of the cleavage patterns in amphibian embryos]. | this paper presents a brief survey and preliminary classification of embryonic cleavage patterns in the class amphibia. we use published data on 41 anuran and 22 urodele species concerning the character of the third cleavage furrow (latitudinal or longitudinal) and the stage of transition from synchronous to asynchronous blastomere divisions in the animal hemisphere (4-8-celled stage, 8-16-celled stage or later). based on this, four patterns of amphibian embryonic cleavage are recognized, and an ... | 2015 | 25720261 |
| vesicular stomatitis virus enables gene transfer and transsynaptic tracing in a wide range of organisms. | current limitations in technology have prevented an extensive analysis of the connections among neurons, particularly within nonmammalian organisms. we developed a transsynaptic viral tracer originally for use in mice, and then tested its utility in a broader range of organisms. by engineering the vesicular stomatitis virus (vsv) to encode a fluorophore and either the rabies virus glycoprotein (rabv-g) or its own glycoprotein (vsv-g), we created viruses that can transsynaptically label neuronal ... | 2015 | 25688551 |
| long-duration muscle dedifferentiation during limb regeneration in axolotls. | although still debated, limb regeneration in salamanders is thought to depend on the dedifferentiation of remnant tissue occurring early after amputation and generating the progenitor cells that initiate regeneration. this dedifferentiation has been demonstrated previously by showing the fragmentation of muscle fibers into mononucleated cells and by revealing the contribution of mature muscle fibers to the regenerates by using lineage-tracing studies. here, we provide additional evidence of dedi ... | 2015 | 25671422 |
| identification of reference genes and validation for gene expression studies in diverse axolotl (ambystoma mexicanum) tissues. | for the precise quantitative rt-pcr normalization a set of valid reference genes is obligatory. moreover have to be taken into concern the experimental conditions as they bias the regulation of reference genes. up till now, no reference targets have been described for the axolotl (ambystoma mexicanum). in a search in the public database salsite for genetic information of the axolotl we identified fourteen presumptive reference genes, eleven of which were further tested for their gene expression ... | 2015 | 25637570 |
| presence and prevalence of batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in commercial amphibians in mexico city. | in mexico city, native and exotic amphibians are commonly sold through the pet trade. this study investigates the presence of batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (bd) in native amphibians being sold at two commercial markets and at a herpetarium in mexico city. a total of 238 individuals (6 genera and 12 species) were tested for bd using real-time polymerase chain reaction (pcr) analysis. there were 197 bd-positive individuals (prevalence 82%) from five species of amphibians. hyla eximia from the mar ... | 2014 | 25632670 |
| evaluation of de novo transcriptome assemblies from rna-seq data. | de novo rna-seq assembly facilitates the study of transcriptomes for species without sequenced genomes, but it is challenging to select the most accurate assembly in this context. to address this challenge, we developed a model-based score, rsem-eval, for evaluating assemblies when the ground truth is unknown. we show that rsem-eval correctly reflects assembly accuracy, as measured by ref-eval, a refined set of ground-truth-based scores that we also developed. guided by rsem-eval, we assembled t ... | 2014 | 25608678 |
| homodimeric anoctamin-1, but not homodimeric anoctamin-6, is activated by calcium increases mediated by the p2y1 and p2x7 receptors. | the p2x7 receptor (p2x7r) is a ligand-gated ion channel that conducts na(+), k(+), and ca(2+) when activated by extracellular atp. in various cell types, such as secretory epithelia, the p2x7r is co-expressed with ca(2+)-dependent cl(-) channels of the tmem16/anoctamin family. here, we studied whether the p2x7r and tmem16a/anoctamin-1 (ano1) or tmem16f/anoctamin-6 (ano6) interact functionally and physically, using oocytes of xenopus laevis and ambystoma mexicanum (axolotl) for heterologous expre ... | 2015 | 25592660 |
| evolutionary innovation and conservation in the embryonic derivation of the vertebrate skull. | development of the vertebrate skull has been studied intensively for more than 150 years, yet many essential features remain unresolved. one such feature is the extent to which embryonic derivation of individual bones is evolutionarily conserved or labile. we perform long-term fate mapping using gfp-transgenic axolotl and xenopus laevis to document the contribution of individual cranial neural crest streams to the osteocranium in these amphibians. here we show that the axolotl pattern is strikin ... | 2014 | 25434971 |
| immunocytochemical characterisation of ensheathing glia in the olfactory and vomeronasal systems of ambystoma mexicanum (caudata: ambystomatidae). | the olfactory and vomeronasal systems of vertebrates are characterised by neurogenesis occurring throughout life. the regenerative ability of olfactory receptor neurons relies on specific glial cells, the olfactory and vomeronasal axon-surrounding cells. numerous studies have examined mammalian olfactory ensheathing cells which are considered potential candidates for spinal cord injury repair using cell-based therapy. with regard to non-mammalian vertebrates, limited information is available on ... | 2016 | 25433448 |
| identification of a human mitochondrial rna that promotes tropomyosin synthesis and myocardial differentiation. | heart disease is the number one killer in the usa, making cardiogenesis and its related pathways a relevant area of study for improving health and life expectancy. the mexican salamander (axolotl), ambystoma mexicanum, provides an excellent vertebrate animal model for studying myofibrillogenesis due to its naturally occurring cardiac nonfunction mutation. homozygous recessive embryos do not develop normal hearts due to a lack of myofibril formation. in previous studies, myofibril-inducing ribonu ... | 2015 | 25408381 |
| dynamic evolution of the gnrh receptor gene family in vertebrates. | elucidating the mechanisms underlying coevolution of ligands and receptors is an important challenge in molecular evolutionary biology. peptide hormones and their receptors are excellent models for such efforts, given the relative ease of examining evolutionary changes in genes encoding for both molecules. most vertebrates possess multiple genes for both the decapeptide gonadotropin releasing hormone (gnrh) and for the gnrh receptor. the evolutionary history of the receptor family, including anc ... | 2014 | 25344287 |
| successful nucleofection of rat adipose-derived stroma cells with ambystoma mexicanum epidermal lipoxygenase (ambloxe). | adipose-derived stroma cells (ascs) are attractive cells for cell-based gene therapy but are generally difficult to transfect. nucleofection has proven to be an efficient method for transfection of primary cells. therefore, we used this technique to transfect ascs with a vector encoding for ambystoma mexicanum epidermal lipoxygenase (ambloxe) which is a promising bioactive enzyme in regenerative processes. thereby, we thought to even further increase the large regenerative potential of the ascs. | 2014 | 25300230 |
| co-operative bmp- and fgf-signaling inputs convert skin wound healing to limb formation in urodele amphibians. | urodele amphibians have remarkable organ regeneration capability, and their limb regeneration capability has been investigated as a representative phenomenon. in the early 19th century, nerves were reported to be an essential tissue for the successful induction of limb regeneration. nerve substances that function in the induction of limb regeneration responses have long been sought. a new experimental system called the accessory limb model (alm) has been established to identify the nerve factors ... | 2014 | 25286122 |
| crispr-mediated genomic deletion of sox2 in the axolotl shows a requirement in spinal cord neural stem cell amplification during tail regeneration. | the salamander is the only tetrapod that functionally regenerates all cell types of the limb and spinal cord (sc) and thus represents an important regeneration model, but the lack of gene-knockout technology has limited molecular analysis. we compared transcriptional activator-like effector nucleases (talens) and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (crisprs) in the knockout of three loci in the axolotl and find that crisprs show highly penetrant knockout with less toxic eff ... | 2014 | 25241743 |
| comparative and phylogenetic perspectives of the cleavage process in tailed amphibians. | the order caudata includes about 660 species and displays a variety of important developmental traits such as cleavage pattern and egg size. however, the cleavage process of tailed amphibians has never been analyzed within a phylogenetic framework. we use published data on the embryos of 36 species concerning the character of the third cleavage furrow (latitudinal, longitudinal or variable) and the magnitude of synchronous cleavage period (up to 3-4 synchronous cell divisions in the animal hemis ... | 2015 | 25180466 |
| hematopoietic ontogeny in the axolotl. | 2014 | 25147373 | |
| translational control of tropomyosin expression in vertebrate hearts. | the tropomyosin (tm) gene family produces a set of related tm proteins with important functions in striated and smooth muscle, and nonmuscle cells. in vertebrate striated muscle, the thin filament consists largely of actin, tm, the troponin (tn) complex (tn-i, tn-c and tn-t), and tropomodulin (tmod) and is responsible for mediating ca(2+) control of muscle contraction and relaxation. there are four known genes (designated as tpm1, tpm2, tpm3, and tpm4) for tm in vertebrates. the four tm genes ge ... | 2014 | 25125172 |
| axolotls with an under- or oversupply of neural crest can regulate the sizes of their dorsal root ganglia to normal levels. | how animals adjust the size of their organs is a fundamental, enduring question in biology. here we manipulate the amount of neural crest (nc) precursors for the dorsal root ganglia (drg) in axolotl. we produce embryos with an under- or over-supply of pre-migratory nc in order to find out if drg can regulate their sizes during development. axolotl embryos are perfectly suitable for this research. firstly, they are optimal for microsurgical manipulations and tissue repair. secondly, they possess, ... | 2014 | 25111151 |
| proteomic analysis of fibroblastema formation in regenerating hind limbs of xenopus laevis froglets and comparison to axolotl. | to gain insight into what differences might restrict the capacity for limb regeneration in xenopus froglets, we used high performance liquid chromatography (hplc)/double mass spectrometry to characterize protein expression during fibroblastema formation in the amputated froglet hindlimb, and compared the results to those obtained previously for blastema formation in the axolotl limb. | 2014 | 25063185 |
| expression of sarcomeric tropomyosin in striated muscles in axolotl treated with shz-1, a small cardiogenic molecule. | we evaluated the effect of shz-1, a cardiogenic molecule, on the expression of various tropomyosin (tm) isoforms in the mexican axolotl (ambystoma mexicanum) hearts. qrt-pcr data show a ~1.5-fold increase in cardiac transcripts of the nkx2.5 gene, which plays a crucial role in cardiogenesis in vertebrates. shz-1 augments the expression of transcripts of the total sarcomeric tpm1 (both tpm1α & tpm1κ) and sarcomeric tpm4α. in order to understand the mechanism by which shz-1 augments the expression ... | 2015 | 24958154 |
| notochord-derived hedgehog is essential for tail regeneration in xenopus tadpole. | appendage regeneration in amphibians is regulated by the combinatorial actions of signaling molecules. the requirement of molecules secreted from specific tissues is reflected by the observation that the whole process of regeneration can be inhibited if a certain tissue is removed from the amputated stump. interestingly, urodeles and anurans show different tissue dependencies during tail regeneration. the spinal cord is essential for tail regeneration in urodele but not in anuran larva, whereas ... | 2014 | 24941877 |
| stochastic specification of primordial germ cells from mesoderm precursors in axolotl embryos. | a common feature of development in most vertebrate models is the early segregation of the germ line from the soma. for example, in xenopus and zebrafish embryos primordial germ cells (pgcs) are specified by germ plasm that is inherited from the egg; in mice, blimp1 expression in the epiblast mediates the commitment of cells to the germ line. how these disparate mechanisms of pgc specification evolved is unknown. here, in order to identify the ancestral mechanism of pgc specification in vertebrat ... | 2014 | 24917499 |
| preparation of primary myogenic precursor cell/myoblast cultures from basal vertebrate lineages. | due to the inherent difficulty and time involved with studying the myogenic program in vivo, primary culture systems derived from the resident adult stem cells of skeletal muscle, the myogenic precursor cells (mpcs), have proven indispensible to our understanding of mammalian skeletal muscle development and growth. particularly among the basal taxa of vertebrata, however, data are limited describing the molecular mechanisms controlling the self-renewal, proliferation, and differentiation of mpcs ... | 2014 | 24835774 |
| mapping hematopoiesis in a fully regenerative vertebrate: the axolotl. | hematopoietic stem cell (hsc)-derived cells are involved in wound healing responses throughout the body. unfortunately for mammals, wound repair typically results in scarring and nonfunctional reparation. among vertebrates, none display such an extensive ability for adult regeneration as urodele amphibians, including 1 of the more popular models: the axolotl. however, a lack of knowledge of axolotl hematopoiesis hinders the use of this animal for the study of hematopoietic cells in scar-free wou ... | 2014 | 24802774 |
| evolving possibilities: post-embryonic axial elongation in salamanders with biphasic (eurcyea cirrigera, e. longicauda, e. quadridigitata) and paedomorphic life cycles (eurycea nana and ambystoma mexicanum). submitted acta zoologica. | typically the number of vertebrae an organism will have post-embryonically is determined during embryogenesis via the development of paired somites. our research investigates the phenomenon of post-embryonic vertebral addition in salamander tails. we describe body and tail growth, and patterns of postsacral vertebral addition and elongation in context with caudal morphology for four plethodontids (eurycea), and one ambystomatid. eurycea nana and a. mexicanum have paedomorphic life cycles; e. cir ... | 2012 | 24790225 |
| highly efficient targeted mutagenesis in axolotl using cas9 rna-guided nuclease. | among tetrapods, only urodele salamanders, such as the axolotl ambystoma mexicanum, can completely regenerate limbs as adults. the mystery of why salamanders, but not other animals, possess this ability has for generations captivated scientists seeking to induce this phenomenon in other vertebrates. although many recent advances in molecular biology have allowed limb regeneration and tissue repair in the axolotl to be investigated in increasing detail, the molecular toolkit for the study of this ... | 2014 | 24764077 |
| new insights into vertebrate skin regeneration. | regeneration biology has experienced a renaissance as clinicians, scientists, and engineers have combined forces to drive the field of regenerative medicine. studies investigating the mechanisms that regulate wound healing in adult mammals have led to a good understanding of the stereotypical processes that lead to scarring. despite comparative studies of fetal wound healing in which no scar is produced, the fact remains that insights from this work have failed to produce therapies that can rege ... | 2014 | 24725426 |
| precise control of mir-125b levels is required to create a regeneration-permissive environment after spinal cord injury: a cross-species comparison between salamander and rat. | most spinal cord injuries lead to permanent paralysis in mammals. by contrast, the remarkable regenerative abilities of salamanders enable full functional recovery even from complete spinal cord transections. the molecular differences underlying this evolutionary divergence between mammals and amphibians are poorly understood. we focused on upstream regulators of gene expression as primary entry points into this question. we identified a group of micrornas (mirnas) that are conserved between the ... | 2014 | 24719025 |
| is salamander limb regeneration really perfect? anatomical and morphogenetic analysis of forelimb muscle regeneration in gfp-transgenic axolotls as a basis for regenerative, developmental, and evolutionary studies. | the axolotl ambystoma mexicanum is one of the most commonly used model organisms in developmental and regenerative studies because it can reconstitute what is believed to be a completely normal anatomical and functional forelimb/hindlimb after amputation. however, to date it has not been confirmed whether each regenerated forelimb muscle is really a "perfect" copy of the original muscle. this study describes the regeneration of the arm, forearm, hand, and some pectoral muscles (e.g., coracoradia ... | 2014 | 24692358 |
| two different network topologies yield bistability in models of mesoderm and anterior mesendoderm specification in amphibians. | understanding the gene regulatory networks (grns) that underlie development is a major question for systems biology. the establishment of the germ layers is amongst the earliest events of development and has been characterised in numerous model systems. the establishment of the mesoderm is best characterised in the frog xenopus laevis and has been well studied both experimentally and mathematically. however, the xenopus network has significant differences from that in mouse and humans, including ... | 2014 | 24650939 |
| dual embryonic origin of the hyobranchial apparatus in the mexican axolotl (ambystoma mexicanum). | traditionally, the cartilaginous viscerocranium of vertebrates is considered as neural crest (nc)-derived. morphological work carried out on amphibian embryos in the first half of the xx century suggested potentially mesodermal origin for some hyobranchial elements. since then, the embryonic sources of the hyobranchial apparatus in amphibians has not been investigated due to lack of an appropriate long-term labelling system. we performed homotopic transplantations of neural folds along with the ... | 2013 | 24623073 |
| the effects of local x-ray irradiation on the tail development of young axolotls. | 1950 | 24537002 | |
| axolotl as a model to study scarless wound healing in vertebrates: role of the transforming growth factor beta signaling pathway. | the skin is our largest organ, with the primary role of protection against assaults from the outside world. it also suffers frequent damage, from minor scrapes to, more rarely, complete destruction such as in third-degree burns. it is therefore, by its nature, an organ that would benefit tremendously from being able to regenerate itself. | 2013 | 24527347 |
| optimized axolotl (ambystoma mexicanum) husbandry, breeding, metamorphosis, transgenesis and tamoxifen-mediated recombination. | the axolotl (mexican salamander, ambystoma mexicanum) has become a very useful model organism for studying limb and spinal cord regeneration because of its high regenerative capacity. here we present a protocol for successfully mating and breeding axolotls in the laboratory throughout the year, for metamorphosing axolotls by a single i.p. injection and for axolotl transgenesis using i-scei meganuclease and the mini tol2 transposon system. tol2-mediated transgenesis provides different features an ... | 2014 | 24504478 |
| conservation of position-specific gene expression in axolotl limb skin. | urodele amphibians can regenerate their limbs after amputation. after amputation, undifferentiated cells appear on the amputation plane and form regeneration blastema. a limb blastema recreates a complete replica of the original limb. it is well known that disturbance of the location of limb tissues prior to amputation perturbs limb patterning, suggesting that different intact limb tissues carry different location information despite their identical appearance. the cause of such differences in i ... | 2014 | 24410490 |
| progressive specification rather than intercalation of segments during limb regeneration. | an amputated salamander limb regenerates the correct number of segments. models explaining limb regeneration were largely distinct from those for limb development, despite the presence of common patterning molecules. intercalation has been an important concept to explain salamander limb regeneration, but clear evidence supporting or refuting this model was lacking. in the intercalation model, the first blastema cells acquire fingertip identity, creating a gap in positional identity that triggers ... | 2013 | 24337297 |
| is salamander hindlimb regeneration similar to that of the forelimb? anatomical and morphogenetic analysis of hindlimb muscle regeneration in gfp-transgenic axolotls as a basis for regenerative and developmental studies. | the axolotl ambystoma mexicanum is one of the most used model organisms in developmental and regenerative studies because it is commonly said that it can reconstitute a normal and fully functional forelimb/hindlimb after amputation. however, there is not a publication that has described in detail the regeneration of the axolotl hindlimb muscles. here we describe and illustrate, for the first time, the regeneration of the thigh, leg and foot muscles in transgenic axolotls that express green fluor ... | 2014 | 24325444 |
| development of fore- and hindlimb muscles in gfp-transgenic axolotls: morphogenesis, the tetrapod bauplan, and new insights on the forelimb-hindlimb enigma. | the axolotl is becoming one of the most used model organisms in developmental and regenerative studies but no publication has described in detail the development of its forelimb and hindlimb muscles. we describe and illustrate the ontogeny of these muscles in transgenic axolotls that express gfp in muscle fibers and discuss our results and data previously obtained by us and by other authors about limb regeneration in axolotls and ontogeny in frogs and other tetrapods. our observations and compar ... | 2014 | 24302552 |
| fundamental differences in dedifferentiation and stem cell recruitment during skeletal muscle regeneration in two salamander species. | salamanders regenerate appendages via a progenitor pool called the blastema. the cellular mechanisms underlying regeneration of muscle have been much debated but have remained unclear. here we applied cre-loxp genetic fate mapping to skeletal muscle during limb regeneration in two salamander species, notophthalmus viridescens (newt) and ambystoma mexicanum (axolotl). remarkably, we found that myofiber dedifferentiation is an integral part of limb regeneration in the newt, but not in axolotl. in ... | 2014 | 24268695 |
| development of fore- and hindlimb muscles in frogs: morphogenesis, homeotic transformations, digit reduction, and the forelimb-hindlimb enigma. | here we provide the first detailed description, based on immunohistochemistry and dissections, of the limb muscle development in the direct developing frog eleutherodactylus coqui. we compare e. coqui with other tetrapods and discuss our results in a broad evolutionary and developmental context to address some major questions concerning the origin, evolution, and ontogeny of the tetrapod limbs. our observations and comparisons: (1) support the "in-out" developmental mechanism of the appendicular ... | 2014 | 24254979 |
| molecular cloning, sequence analysis and phylogeny of first caudata g-type lysozyme in axolotl (ambystoma mexicanum). | lysozymes are key proteins that play important roles in innate immune defense in many animal phyla by breaking down the bacterial cell-walls. in this study, we report the molecular cloning, sequence analysis and phylogeny of the first caudate amphibian g-lysozyme: a full-length spleen cdna library from axolotl (ambystoma mexicanum). a goose-type (g-lysozyme) est was identified and the full-length cdna was obtained using race-pcr. the axolotl g-lysozyme sequence represents an open reading frame f ... | 2013 | 24199859 |
| enzymatically active 2',5'-oligoadenylate synthetases are widely distributed among metazoa, including protostome lineage. | 2',5'-oligoadenylate synthetases (oass) belong to the nucleotidyl transferase family together with poly(a) polymerases, cca-adding enzymes and the recently discovered cyclic-gmp-amp synthase (cgas). mammalian oass have been thoroughly characterized as components of the interferon-induced antiviral system. the oas activity and the respective genes were also discovered in marine sponges where the interferon system is absent. in this study the recombinant oass from several multicellular animals and ... | 2014 | 24184688 |
| resegmentation in the mexican axolotl, ambystoma mexicanum. | the segmental series of somites in the vertebrate embryo gives rise to the axial skeleton. in amniote models, single vertebrae are derived from the sclerotome of two adjacent somites. this process, known as resegmentation, is well-studied using the quail-chick chimeric system, but the presumed generality of resegmentation across vertebrates remains poorly evaluated. resegmentation has been questioned in anamniotes, given that the sclerotome is much smaller and lacks obvious differentiation betwe ... | 2014 | 24127283 |
| positional information is reprogrammed in blastema cells of the regenerating limb of the axolotl (ambystoma mexicanum). | the regenerating region of an amputated salamander limb, known as the blastema, has the amazing capacity to replace exactly the missing structures. by grafting cells from different stages and regions of blastemas induced to form on donor animals expressing green fluorescent protein (gfp), to non-gfp host animals, we have determined that the cells from early stage blastemas, as well as cells at the tip of late stage blastemas are developmentally labile such that their positional identity is repro ... | 2013 | 24086768 |
| germline transgenic methods for tracking cells and testing gene function during regeneration in the axolotl. | the salamander is the only tetrapod that regenerates complex body structures throughout life. deciphering the underlying molecular processes of regeneration is fundamental for regenerative medicine and developmental biology, but the model organism had limited tools for molecular analysis. we describe a comprehensive set of germline transgenic strains in the laboratory-bred salamander ambystoma mexicanum (axolotl) that open up the cellular and molecular genetic dissection of regeneration. we demo ... | 2013 | 24052945 |
| leucine-enkephalin-like immunoreactivity is localized in luteinizing hormone-producing cells in the axolotl (ambystoma mexicanum) pituitary. | in this study, we used immunohistochemical techniques to determine the cell type of leucine-enkephalin (leu-enk)-immunoreactive cells in the axolotl (ambystoma mexicanum) pituitary. immunoreactive cells were scattered throughout the pars distalis except for the dorso-caudal portion. these cells were immuno-positive for luteinizing hormone (lh), but they were immuno-negative for adrenocorticotrophic, growth, and thyroid-stimulating hormones, as well as prolactin. immunoelectron microscopy demonst ... | 2014 | 24034715 |
| gain-of-function assays in the axolotl (ambystoma mexicanum) to identify signaling pathways that induce and regulate limb regeneration. | the adult salamander has been studied as a model for regeneration of complex tissues for many decades. only recently with the development of gain-of-function assays for regeneration, has it been possible to screen for and assay the function of the multitude of signaling factors that have been identified in studies of embryonic development and tumorigenesis. given the conservation of function of these regulatory pathways controlling growth and pattern formation, it is now possible to use the func ... | 2013 | 24029949 |
| limb regeneration. | limb regeneration is observed in certain members of the animal phyla. some animals keep this ability during their entire life while others lose it at some time during development. how do animals regenerate limbs? is it possible to find unifying, conserved mechanisms of limb regeneration or have different species evolved distinct means of replacing a lost limb? how is limb regeneration similar or different to limb development? studies on many organisms, including echinoderms, arthropods, and chor ... | 2016 | 24009038 |
| genomics of a metamorphic timing qtl: met1 maps to a unique genomic position and regulates morph and species-specific patterns of brain transcription. | very little is known about genetic factors that regulate life history transitions during ontogeny. closely related tiger salamanders (ambystoma species complex) show extreme variation in metamorphic timing, with some species foregoing metamorphosis altogether, an adaptive trait called paedomorphosis. previous studies identified a major effect quantitative trait locus (met1) for metamorphic timing and expression of paedomorphosis in hybrid crosses between the biphasic eastern tiger salamander (am ... | 2013 | 23946331 |
| molecular cloning, sequence analysis and homology modeling of the first caudata amphibian antifreeze-like protein in axolotl (ambystoma mexicanum). | antifreeze proteins (afps) refer to a class of polypeptides that are produced by certain vertebrates, plants, fungi, and bacteria and which permit their survival in subzero environments. in this study, we report the molecular cloning, sequence analysis and three-dimensional structure of the axolotl antifreeze-like protein (aflp) by homology modeling of the first caudate amphibian aflp. we constructed a full-length spleen cdna library of axolotl (ambystoma mexicanum). an est having highest simila ... | 2013 | 23915159 |
| variation in salamander tail regeneration is associated with genetic factors that determine tail morphology. | very little is known about the factors that cause variation in regenerative potential within and between species. here, we used a genetic approach to identify heritable genetic factors that explain variation in tail regenerative outgrowth. a hybrid ambystomatid salamander (ambystoma mexicanum x a. andersoni) was crossed to an a. mexicanum and 217 offspring were induced to undergo metamorphosis and attain terrestrial adult morphology using thyroid hormone. following metamorphosis, each salamander ... | 2013 | 23843997 |
| body wall development in lamprey and a new perspective on the origin of vertebrate paired fins. | classical hypotheses regarding the evolutionary origin of paired appendages propose transformation of precursor structures (gill arches and lateral fin folds) into paired fins. during development, gnathostome paired appendages form as outgrowths of body wall somatopleure, a tissue composed of somatic lateral plate mesoderm (lpm) and overlying ectoderm. in amniotes, lpm contributes connective tissue to abaxial musculature and forms ventrolateral dermis of the interlimb body wall. the phylogenetic ... | 2013 | 23818600 |
| de novo transcriptome sequencing of axolotl blastema for identification of differentially expressed genes during limb regeneration. | salamanders are unique among vertebrates in their ability to completely regenerate amputated limbs through the mediation of blastema cells located at the stump ends. this regeneration is nerve-dependent because blastema formation and regeneration does not occur after limb denervation. to obtain the genomic information of blastema tissues, de novo transcriptomes from both blastema tissues and denervated stump ends of ambystoma mexicanum (axolotls) 14 days post-amputation were sequenced and compar ... | 2013 | 23815514 |
| nerve independent limb induction in axolotls. | urodele amphibians can regenerate their limbs. during limb regeneration, dermal fibroblasts are transformed into undifferentiated cells called blastema cells. these dermis-blastema cells show multipotency. such so-called endogenous reprogramming of cell differentiation is one of the main targets of amphibian limb regeneration studies. it is well recognized that nerve presence controls the initiation of limb regeneration. accordingly, nerve factors have been sought in amphibian limb regeneration. ... | 2013 | 23769980 |
| spatial distribution of prominin-1 (cd133)-positive cells within germinative zones of the vertebrate brain. | in mammals, embryonic neural progenitors as well as adult neural stem cells can be prospectively isolated based on the cell surface expression of prominin-1 (cd133), a plasma membrane glycoprotein. in contrast, characterization of neural progenitors in non-mammalian vertebrates endowed with significant constitutive neurogenesis and inherent self-repair ability is hampered by the lack of suitable cell surface markers. here, we have investigated whether prominin-1-orthologues of the major non-mamm ... | 2013 | 23723983 |
| macrophages are required for adult salamander limb regeneration. | the failure to replace damaged body parts in adult mammals results from a muted growth response and fibrotic scarring. although infiltrating immune cells play a major role in determining the variable outcome of mammalian wound repair, little is known about the modulation of immune cell signaling in efficiently regenerating species such as the salamander, which can regrow complete body structures as adults. here we present a comprehensive analysis of immune signaling during limb regeneration in a ... | 2013 | 23690624 |
| complement-triggered pathways orchestrate regenerative responses throughout phylogenesis. | adult tissue plasticity, cell reprogramming, and organ regeneration are major challenges in the field of modern regenerative medicine. devising strategies to increase the regenerative capacity of tissues holds great promise for dealing with donor organ shortages and low transplantation outcomes and also provides essential impetus to tissue bioengineering approaches for organ repair and replacement. the inherent ability of cells to reprogram their fate by switching into an embryonic-like, pluripo ... | 2013 | 23684626 |
| comparative transcriptional profiling of the axolotl limb identifies a tripartite regeneration-specific gene program. | understanding how the limb blastema is established after the initial wound healing response is an important aspect of regeneration research. here we performed parallel expression profile time courses of healing lateral wounds versus amputated limbs in axolotl. this comparison between wound healing and regeneration allowed us to identify amputation-specific genes. by clustering the expression profiles of these samples, we could detect three distinguishable phases of gene expression - early wound ... | 2013 | 23658691 |
| concise review: pursuing self-renewal and pluripotency with the stem cell factor nanog. | pluripotent embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells hold great promise for future use in tissue replacement therapies due to their ability to self-renew indefinitely and to differentiate into all adult cell types. harnessing this therapeutic potential efficiently requires a much deeper understanding of the molecular processes at work within the pluripotency network. the transcription factors nanog, oct4, and sox2 reside at the core of this network, where they interact and regulat ... | 2013 | 23653415 |
| cranial muscle development in the model organism ambystoma mexicanum: implications for tetrapod and vertebrate comparative and evolutionary morphology and notes on ontogeny and phylogeny. | there is still confusion about the homology of several cranial muscles in salamanders with those of other vertebrates. this is true, in part, because of the fact that many muscles present in early ontogeny of amphibians disappear during development and specifically during metamorphosis. resolving this confusion is important for the understanding of the comparative and evolutionary morphology of vertebrates and tetrapods because amphibians are the phylogenetically most plesiomorphic tetrapods, co ... | 2013 | 23650269 |
| accessory limb induction on flank region and its muscle regulation in axolotl. | urodele amphibians have high regeneration capability that has been studied for a long time. recently, a new experimental system called the accessory limb model was developed and becomes alternative choice for amphibian limb regeneration study. although the accessory limb model has many advantages, an improvement was needed for some specific analysis, such as studying muscle origin. for that purpose, an accessory limb induction on nonlimb regions was attempted. | 2013 | 23649747 |
| foamy virus for efficient gene transfer in regeneration studies. | molecular studies of appendage regeneration have been hindered by the lack of a stable and efficient means of transferring exogenous genes. we therefore sought an efficient integrating virus system that could be used to study limb and tail regeneration in salamanders. | 2013 | 23641815 |
| lmx-1b and wnt-7a expression in axolotl limb during development and regeneration. | axolotls (ambystoma mexicanum) have the ability to regenerate amputated limbs throughout their life span. during limb regeneration as well as development, undifferentiated cells in the blastema acquire positional information to reproduce the original pattern along three cardinal limb axes: anteroposterior, proximodistal and dorsoventral. in the present study, we attempted to understand the molecular mechanism involved in patterning of axolotl limb development and regeneration along the dorsovent ... | 2013 | 23614984 |
| misexpression experiment of tbx5 in axolotl (ambystoma mexicanum) hindlimb blastema. | axolotls (ambystoma mexicanum) have the ability to regenerate amputated limbs throughout their life span. in the present study, we attempted to elucidate how axolotls can specify limb type correctly during the regeneration process. we misexpressed tbx5 in regenerating hindlimb blastema, and consequently a forelimb-like hindlimb regenerated from the hindlimb blastema. on the other hand, no change was observed in tbx5-overexpressing forelimb blastema, and thus we considered that tbx5 plays a key r ... | 2013 | 23614983 |
| expression pattern of nogo-a, mag, and ngr in regenerating urodele spinal cord. | the mammalian central nervous system is incapable of substantial axon regeneration after injury partially due to the presence of myelin-associated inhibitory molecules including nogo-a and myelin associated glycoprotein (mag). in contrast, axolotl salamanders are capable of considerable axon regrowth during spinal cord regeneration. | 2013 | 23592243 |
| regeneration of soft tissues is promoted by mmp1 treatment after digit amputation in mice. | the ratio of matrix metalloproteinases (mmps) to the tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (timps) in wounded tissues strictly control the protease activity of mmps, and therefore regulate the progress of wound closure, tissue regeneration and scar formation. some amphibians (i.e. axolotl/newt) demonstrate complete regeneration of missing or wounded digits and even limbs; mmps play a critical role during amphibian regeneration. conversely, mammalian wound healing re-establishes tissue integrit ... | 2013 | 23527099 |
| a new unique form of microrna from human heart, microrna-499c, promotes myofibril formation and rescues cardiac development in mutant axolotl embryos. | a recessive mutation "c" in the mexican axolotl, ambystoma mexicanum, results in the failure of normal heart development. in homozygous recessive embryos, the hearts do not have organized myofibrils and fail to beat. in our previous studies, we identified a noncoding myofibril-inducing rna (mir) from axolotls which promotes myofibril formation and rescues heart development. | 2013 | 23522091 |
| comparative rna-seq analysis in the unsequenced axolotl: the oncogene burst highlights early gene expression in the blastema. | the salamander has the remarkable ability to regenerate its limb after amputation. cells at the site of amputation form a blastema and then proliferate and differentiate to regrow the limb. to better understand this process, we performed deep rna sequencing of the blastema over a time course in the axolotl, a species whose genome has not been sequenced. using a novel comparative approach to analyzing rna-seq data, we characterized the transcriptional dynamics of the regenerating axolotl limb wit ... | 2013 | 23505351 |
| an investigative laboratory exercise examining the cell signaling and regulatory properties of neurons in the regenerating forelimbs of the axolotl ambystoma mexicanum. | many students understand the electrical properties of neurons and can adequately describe the creation and transmission of electrical impulses. however, students often have difficulty when it comes to understanding how neurons have an equally important role in cell signaling. this latter function is crucial in the establishment of proper cell fate during regeneration. i have devised a lab that includes in its goals: 1) an investigation into the cell signaling role of neurons, 2) experience with ... | 2005 | 23493055 |
| a hyperpolarization-activated ion current of amphibian oocytes. | a comparative analysis of a hyperpolarization-activated ion current present in amphibian oocytes was performed using the two-electrode voltage-clamp technique in xenopus laevis, xenopus tropicalis, and ambystoma mexicanum. this current appears to be driven mainly by cl(-) ions, is independent of ca(2+), and is made evident by applying extremely negative voltage pulses; it shows a slow activating phase and little or no desensitization. the pharmacological profile of the current is complex. the di ... | 2013 | 23440457 |
| wound epithelium function in axolotl limb regeneration. | axolotls (ambystoma mexicanum) have the ability to regenerate amputated limbs. the amputation surface is promptly covered by wound epithelium (we), which is significant for the initiation of limb regeneration. in the present study, we investigated the formation of functional we by analyzing the migration of we after amputation. in the center of the amputation surface, epithelial cells migrated from surrounding epidermis to form we. therefore, we around the center of the amputation surface was co ... | 2012 | 23429052 |
| profiling neurotransmitter receptor expression in the ambystoma mexicanum brain. | ability to regenerate limbs and central nervous system (cns) is unique to few vertebrates, most notably the axolotl (ambystoma sp.). however, despite the fact the neurotransmitter receptors are involved in axonal regeneration, little is known regarding its expression profile. in this project, rt-pcr and qpcr were performed to gain insight into the neurotransmitter receptors present in ambystoma. its functional ability was studied by expressing axolotl receptors in xenopus laevis oocytes by eithe ... | 2013 | 23353105 |
| pseudotyped retroviruses for infecting axolotl in vivo and in vitro. | axolotls are poised to become the premiere model system for studying vertebrate appendage regeneration. however, very few molecular tools exist for studying crucial cell lineage relationships over regeneration or for robust and sustained misexpression of genetic elements to test their function. furthermore, targeting specific cell types will be necessary to understand how regeneration of the diverse tissues within the limb is accomplished. we report that pseudotyped, replication-incompetent retr ... | 2013 | 23344705 |
| comparative pelvic development of the axolotl (ambystoma mexicanum) and the australian lungfish (neoceratodus forsteri): conservation and innovation across the fish-tetrapod transition. | the fish-tetrapod transition was one of the major events in vertebrate evolution and was enabled by many morphological changes. although the transformation of paired fish fins into tetrapod limbs has been a major topic of study in recent years, both from paleontological and comparative developmental perspectives, the interest has focused almost exclusively on the distal part of the appendage and in particular the origin of digits. relatively little attention has been paid to the transformation o ... | 2013 | 23342976 |
| revisiting the relationship between regenerative ability and aging. | contrary to the longstanding view that newts (notophthalamus viridescens), but not axolotls (ambystoma mexicanum), can regenerate a lens, a recent report in bmc biology by panagiotis tsonis and colleagues shows axolotls indeed possess this ability during early larval stages. in contrast, they show that zebrafish never posses this ability, even as embryos. this underscores the importance of comparing regenerative ability across species and reinforces the need to consider organ regeneration in the ... | 2013 | 23336699 |
| proliferation zones in the axolotl brain and regeneration of the telencephalon. | although the brains of lower vertebrates are known to exhibit somewhat limited regeneration after incisional or stab wounds, the urodele brain exhibits extensive regeneration after massive tissue removal. discovering whether and how neural progenitor cells that reside in the ventricular zones of urodeles proliferate to mediate tissue repair in response to injury may produce novel leads for regenerative strategies. here we show that endogenous neural progenitor cells resident to the ventricular z ... | 2013 | 23327114 |
| neural crest does not contribute to the neck and shoulder in the axolotl (ambystoma mexicanum). | a major step during the evolution of tetrapods was their transition from water to land. this process involved the reduction or complete loss of the dermal bones that made up connections to the skull and a concomitant enlargement of the endochondral shoulder girdle. in the mouse the latter is derived from three separate embryonic sources: lateral plate mesoderm, somites, and neural crest. the neural crest was suggested to sustain the muscle attachments. how this complex composition of the endocho ... | 2012 | 23300623 |
| connective tissue cells, but not muscle cells, are involved in establishing the proximo-distal outcome of limb regeneration in the axolotl. | during salamander limb regeneration, only the structures distal to the amputation plane are regenerated, a property known as the rule of distal transformation. multiple cell types are involved in limb regeneration; therefore, determining which cell types participate in distal transformation is important for understanding how the proximo-distal outcome of regeneration is achieved. we show that connective tissue-derived blastema cells obey the rule of distal transformation. they also have nuclear ... | 2013 | 23293283 |
| wound healing in mammals and amphibians: toward limb regeneration in mammals. | mammalian fetal skin regenerates perfectly, but adult skin repairs by the formation of scar tissue. the cause of this imperfect repair by adult skin is not understood. in contrast, wounded adult amphibian (urodeles and anurans) skin is like mammalian fetal skin in that it repairs by regeneration, not scarring. scar-free wound repair in adult xenopus is associated with expression of the paired homeobox transcription factor prx1 by mesenchymal cells of the wound, a feature shared by mesenchymal ce ... | 2013 | 23263248 |
| cell cycle regulation and regeneration. | regeneration of ear punch holes in the mrl mouse and amputated limbs of the axolotl show a number of similarities. a large proportion of the fibroblasts of the uninjured mrl mouse ear are arrested in g2 of the cell cycle, and enter nerve-dependent mitosis after injury to form a ring-shaped blastema that regenerates the ear tissue. multiple cell types contribute to the establishment of the regeneration blastema of the urodele limb by dedifferentiation, and there is substantial reason to believe t ... | 2013 | 23263201 |
| lens regeneration in axolotl: new evidence of developmental plasticity. | among vertebrates lens regeneration is most pronounced in newts, which have the ability to regenerate the entire lens throughout their lives. regeneration occurs from the dorsal iris by transdifferentiation of the pigment epithelial cells. interestingly, the ventral iris never contributes to regeneration. frogs have limited lens regeneration capacity elicited from the cornea during pre-metamorphic stages. the axolotl is another salamander which, like the newt, regenerates its limbs or its tail w ... | 2012 | 23244204 |
| reprogramming to pluripotency is an ancient trait of vertebrate oct4 and pou2 proteins. | the evolutionary origins of the gene network underlying cellular pluripotency, a central theme in developmental biology, have yet to be elucidated. in mammals, oct4 is a factor crucial in the reprogramming of differentiated cells into induced pluripotent stem cells. the oct4 and pou2 genes evolved from a pou class v gene ancestor, but it is unknown whether pluripotency induced by oct4 gene activity is a feature specific to mammals or was already present in ancestral vertebrates. here we report t ... | 2012 | 23232409 |