Nurhidayat Luthfi, Benes Vladimir, Blom Sira, Gomes Inês, Firdausi Nisrina, de Bakker Merijn A G, Spaink Herman P, Richardson Michael K
Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, Sylvius Laboratory, Sylviusweg 72, 2333 BE, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Faculty of Biology, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Jalan Teknika Selatan Sekip Utara, Yogyakarta, 55281, Indonesia.
BMC Biol. 2025 Jan 8;23(1):6. doi: 10.1186/s12915-024-02111-9.
Regeneration is the replacement of lost or damaged tissue with a functional copy. In axolotls and zebrafish, regeneration involves stem cells produced by de-differentiation. These cells form a growth zone which expresses developmental patterning genes at its apex. This system resembles an embryonic developmental field where cells undergo pattern formation. Some lizards, including geckos, can regenerate their tails, but it is unclear whether they show a "development-like" regeneration pathway.
Using the tokay gecko (Gekko gecko) model species, we examined seven stages of tail regeneration, and three stages of embryonic tail bud development, using transcriptomics, single-cell sequencing, and in situ hybridization. We find no apical growth zone in the regenerating tail. The transcriptomes of the regenerating vs. embryonic tails are quite different with respect to developmental patterning genes. Posterior HOXC genes were activated in a temporally collinear sequence in the regenerating tail. The major precursor populations were stromal cells (regenerating tail) vs. pluripotent stem cells (embryonic tail). Segmented skeletal muscles were regenerated with no expression of classical segmentation genes, but with the early activation of satellite cell markers.
Our study suggests that tail regeneration in the tokay gecko-unlike tail development-might rely on the activation of resident stem cells, guided by pre-existing positional information.
再生是指用功能副本替代丢失或受损的组织。在蝾螈和斑马鱼中，再生涉及通过去分化产生的干细胞。这些细胞形成一个生长区，其顶端表达发育模式基因。这个系统类似于一个胚胎发育场，细胞在其中进行模式形成。一些蜥蜴，包括壁虎，能够再生它们的尾巴，但尚不清楚它们是否表现出“类似发育”的再生途径。
我们使用大壁虎（Gekko gecko）作为模式物种，通过转录组学、单细胞测序和原位杂交技术，研究了尾巴再生的七个阶段以及胚胎尾芽发育的三个阶段。我们发现在再生尾巴中没有顶端生长区。在发育模式基因方面，再生尾巴与胚胎尾巴的转录组有很大差异。后HOXC基因在再生尾巴中以时间共线性序列被激活。主要的前体细胞群体在再生尾巴中是基质细胞，而在胚胎尾巴中是多能干细胞。分段骨骼肌再生时，经典分段基因不表达，但卫星细胞标记物会早期激活。
我们的研究表明，大壁虎的尾巴再生——与尾巴发育不同——可能依赖于驻留干细胞的激活，并由预先存在的位置信息引导。
