The missing ingredient in limb regeneration may be oxygen
Some amputated limbs heal into scars. Others begin building themselves back. That split has long sat at the center of regeneration research. Salamanders and frog tadpoles can regrow lost limbs, while mammals cannot. Scientists have debated for decades whether the gap comes from missing genes, different body plans, or some deeper evolutionary tradeoff. A new study points to a more immediate factor: the air around the wound, and how cells read it. A recent article in Science reports that researchers from Pr. Can Aztekin’s lab at the Max Planck Institute and EPFL found that the amount of oxygen present in the area surrounding the injured limb significantly affects the development of the limb’s regenerative ability. The study compared amputated limbs of frog tadpoles with developing limb buds of mouse embryos. It was found that increased oxygen inhibits, rather than stimulates, limb regeneration. Species-specific oxygen sensing governs the initiation of vertebrate limb regeneration. (CREDIT: Science) Oxygen and Early Cellular Response In the immediate period following a limb amputation, cells must be able to respond to the …









