A conserved strategy for inducing appendage regeneration

Abstract Can limb regeneration be induced? Few have pursued this question, and an evolutionarily conserved strategy has yet to emerge. This study reports a strategy for inducing regenerative response in appendages, which works across three species that span the animal phylogeny. In Cnidaria, the fre...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inbioRxiv
Main Authors Abrams, Michael J, Tan, Fayth, Basinger, Ty, Heithe, Martin, Li, Yutian, Raffiee, Misha, Leahy, Patrick, Dabiri, John O, Gold, David A, Goentoro, Lea
Format Paper
LanguageEnglish
Published Cold Spring Harbor Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press 22.11.2020
Subjects
Amino acids
Amputation
Appendages
Cnidaria
Growth hormone
Insulin
Leucine
Phylogeny
Sucrose
Tibia
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Summary:Abstract Can limb regeneration be induced? Few have pursued this question, and an evolutionarily conserved strategy has yet to emerge. This study reports a strategy for inducing regenerative response in appendages, which works across three species that span the animal phylogeny. In Cnidaria, the frequency of appendage regeneration in the moon jellyfish Aurelia was increased by feeding with the amino acid L-leucine and the growth hormone insulin. In insects, the same strategy induced tibia regeneration in adult Drosophila. Finally, in mammals, L-leucine and sucrose administration induced digit regeneration in adult mice, including dramatically from mid-phalangeal amputation. The conserved effect of L-leucine and insulin/sugar suggests a key role for energetic parameters in regeneration induction. The simplicity by which nutrient supplementation can induce appendage regeneration provides a testable hypothesis across animals. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.
DOI:10.1101/2020.11.21.392720