Among four limbed animals, salamanders are the champions of regeneration. They can regenerate an amputated leg or tail, as well as various internal organs. In her first talk, Elly Tanaka explains that axolotl limb regeneration is an excellent system to study the cellular and molecular mechanisms of limb regeneration in vertebrates. Tanaka and her colleagues have shown that the regenerating limb has positional memory. For example, an amputated hind limb with regenerate a hind limb and not a forearm. They also have identified the key signaling molecules involved in determining positional identity.
View the full talk with additional resources on our website
Axolotl Limb Regeneration
Why can a salamander regenerate a limb after amputation while humans can’t? Elly Tanaka is studying axolotl limb regeneration to understand the molecular basis for this amazing process. (Talk recorded in February 2018)
- Part 1: Axolotl Limb RegenerationAudience:
- Student
- Researcher
- Educators of H. School / Intro Undergrad
- Educators of Adv. Undergrad / Grad
Duration: 27:57 - Part 2: Signaling Molecules in Limb RegenerationAudience:
- Researcher
- Educators of Adv. Undergrad / Grad
Duration: 31:16