A Blueprint to Regenerate Limbs

August 19, 2008 | Source: Technology Review

To find clues to the salamander’s remarkable ability to regrow damaged limbs and organs, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have sequenced the genes most highly expressed during limb-bud formation and growth.

They found that at least 10,000 genes were transcribed during regeneration, with a few thousand that don’t resemble known genes. They plan to make a gene chip designed to detect levels of some of these candidate genes, so that the scientists can determine at exactly what point during the regeneration process the genes are turned on. The team is also developing molecular tools that allow them to silence specific genes, which will enable them to pinpoint those that are crucial for proper regrowth.