Scientists discover the key to the ability of axolotls to regenerate their limbs

His current research still has gaps to fill. How CYP26B1 gradients are regulated and how retinoic acid connects shox Genes, and upstream factors, determine the formation of specific structures, such as the humerus and radial bone.

From healing to regeneration

Monaghan explains that axolotls do not have “magic genes” for regeneration, but rather share the same basic genes as humans. “The important difference is Accessibility of those genes. Human injuries activate scar-inducing genes, but salamanders do Cell dedifferentiation: The cell can return to its embryonic state and respond to signals such as retinoic acid. This ability to return to a “developmental state” is the basis of their regeneration,” the researchers explain.

So, if humans have the same genes, why can’t we regenerate? “The difference is that salamanders can climb its (developmental) program again after an injury.” Humans cannot access this developmental path alone during their first prenatal growth. “We had the choice pressure to shut down and heal,” says Monaghan. “My dream, and the dream of community, is to understand how I will move from scars to blastoma.”

James Monaghan.Photo: Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University

Monaghan says, in theory, it is not necessary to modify human DNA to induce regeneration, and intervention in the body with appropriate timing and regulatory molecules. For example, molecular pathways indicating the placement of cells on the pinky elbow rather than the thumb can be reactive in a regenerative environment using techniques such as CRISPR. “This understanding can be applied to stem cell therapy. Currently, laboratory-grown stem cells do not know where they are when transplanted. If programmable with precise position signals, they can contribute to structural regeneration, such as forming complete humour,” the researchers say.

After years of work, understanding the role of retinoic acid has been occurring since 1981, but it is a source of deep satisfaction for Monaghan. Scientists imagine a future in which patches placed in the wound can reinvigorate human cell development programs and emulate salamanders’ regeneration mechanisms. Although not immediate, he believes that cell engineering to induce regeneration is already a goal within the reach of science.

He reflects on how Axolotl lived a second scientific life. “It was the dominant model 100 years ago, and it was no longer used for decades after that, and reappeared thanks to modern tools like gene editing and cell analysis. The team can study any gene and cell during the regeneration process.

This story originally appeared Wired In Spanish Translated from Spanish.