A team of molecular and cellular biologists from several institutions in Taiwan and one in the Philippines has identified some of the mechanical waves involved in the regeneration of amputated tailfins in zebrafish. In their study, reported in the journal Nature Physics, the group studied zebrafish regrowth after their tailfins were removed.
Prior research has shown that many animals have the ability to regrow body parts (mostly appendages) when they are lost, typically after incidents of fighting or hunting. Prior research has also shown that for most such creatures, the amount of regrowth is proportional to the amount lost. The generation of mechanical waves are known to play a role in controlling epithelial cell expansion, the means by which new tissues are generated.
In this new effort, the researchers examined the role of wound healing in regeneration —most specifically, if it is involved in positioning of the regrown tissue. To find out, the researchers closely studied the process by which new tailfins grow on zebrafish after amputation.
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