Blastema cell proliferation in vitro: effects of limb amputation on the mitogenic activity of spinal cord extracts.

Primary cultures of mesenchymal cells of axolotl limb blastemas provide a very sensitive in vitro bioassay for studying nerve dependence of newt regeneration. These cells can be stimulated by crude spinal cord extracts of non-amputated animals in a dose-dependent manner up to 60 micrograms protein/ml of culture medium; at this concentration the mitotic index is increased 4-fold. Spinal cord extracts of axolotls 14 days after forelimb amputation (i.e., late bud stage) are more efficient in stimulating blastema cell proliferation (+50%) than extracts of axolotls 7 days after forelimb amputation (i.e., early bud stage) or of axolotls without amputation. In a similar manner, spinal cord extracts of young axolotls 14 days after forelimb amputation, are more stimulatory than older axolotls 14 d after forelimb amputation which regenerate only a very small blastema during the same time. It appears that spinal cord mitogenic activity is enhanced after limb amputation, probably in correlation with blastema cell requirements for limb regeneration.