ISSN:
0002-9106
Keywords:
Limb Regeneration
;
Pattern Formation
;
Positional Information
;
Vitamin A
;
Retinoids
;
Life and Medical Sciences
;
Cell & Developmental Biology
Source:
Wiley InterScience Backfile Collection 1832-2000
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
Urodele amphibians possess a remarkable ability to regenerate limbs following experimental or accidental amputation. Since only those parts of the limb distal to the plane of amputation usually regenerate, this suggests the existence of level-specific positional values within the cells of the limb. Vitamin A and other retinoids respecify the positional values of regenerating limbs such that structures proximal to the actual plane of amputation are formed in the regenerating limb producing proximodistal duplications. Regenerating limbs of larval axolotls (Ambystoma mexicanum) treated with sufficient retinoic acid to induce proximodistal duplication were also treated via implantation with tunicamycin, a drug which blocks the synthesis of glycoproteins by blocking N-glycosylation of proteins. Tunicamycin was shown to inhibit the proximalizing effects of retinoic acid. This indicates that asparaginelinked glycoproteins may be essential to the process through which retinoic acid induces these effects in the regenerating limb and that glycoproteins may be responsible for specifying positional values in regeneration blastema cells.
Additional Material:
2 Ill.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aja.1001930210
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