神经系统对断肢再生的调控

Limb Regeneration under Check by the Nervous System

两栖动物蝾螈和爪蛙是断肢再生能力最强的脊椎动物,其断肢再生的一个鲜明的特点是对神经组织的成瘾性依赖。关于断肢再生神经依赖的研究已有近两百年的历史,但神经与再生芽基和顶外胚层帽交流互作的机制仍不明朗。该文以蝾螈与爪蛙断肢再生为例,简要回顾神经支配断肢再生的研究结果,并结合作者实验室最近有关黑皮质素受体信号通路调控爪蛙蝌蚪断肢再生的研究进展,探讨中枢神经系统对断肢再生的调控机理。

Salamanders and Xenopus tadpoles can fully regenerate the limb after amputation, and this re-generation depends on the presence of a certain amount of nerve tissues. Since the discovery of nerve dependent limb regeneration in 1822, there has been extensive interest in identifying the molecules mediating the effect of nerves for limb regeneration, a mission yet to be accomplished. Here we briefly review the history of study on nerve dependent limb regeneration, and provide a potential avenue for understanding limb regeneration under regulation by the central nervous system, as indicated by our recent finding on a role of the melanocortin receptor signaling in Xenopus limb regeneration.