Biochemistry 3381A Study Guide - Quiz Guide: Salamander, Blastema, Axolotl
27 May 2020
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List which organisms are capable of epimorphic regeneration. Explain the importance of msx1 and ra signalling in regenerating structures. Humans and other mammals have lost the ability to replace lost or damaged body parts. The human (and companion animal) population is ageing and increasingly suffers from a range of lifestyle" diseases. We can make advances in regenerative medicine by studying organisms which are still capable of regeneration. Epimorphic regeneration is the ability to completely replace parts of the body, which have been lost, with an equivalent structure. Examples of organisms that are capable of regeneration: A key event in regeneration is the formation of a blastema. The blastema is a mass of undifferentiated cells that accumulate at the site of amputation. Blastemal cells are undifferentiated and therefore capable of cell division (unlike differentiated cells, e. g. muscle, cartilage, which have exited the cell cycle). These cells can, therefore, multiply to increase the pool of cells available for forming new tissue.
