Regeneration strategies in urodele amphibians

Abstract

In the age of stem cells, it is interesting to notice that nature has solved the problem of regeneration with diverse strategies rather than repopulation by undifferentiated cells. Urodele amphibians are unique among vertebrates as they are able to regenerate lens, retina, jaws, limbs and heart sections. Proliferation of specialized cells, transdifferentiation and dedifferentiation are important strategies for regeneration among newts and salamanders. Importantly, some signaling pathways are conserved among mammals including humans and the implications of our current knowledge on urodele regeneration in the mammalian context are discussed in this review.