The mouse digit tip: from wound healing to regeneration.

A challenge to the study of regeneration is determining at what point the processes of wound healing and regeneration diverge. The mouse displays level-specific regeneration responses. An amputation through the distal third of the terminal phalanx will prompt a regeneration response and result in a new digit tip that mimics the morphology of the lost digit tip. Conversely, an amputation through the distal third of the intermediate phalanx initiates a wound healing and scarring response. The mouse, therefore, provides a model for studying the transition between wound healing and regeneration in the same animal. This chapter details the methods used in the study of mammalian digit regeneration, including a method to introduce exogenous protein into the mouse digit amputation model via microcarrier beads and methods for analysis of bone regeneration.