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Nature & Environment

Lizards may hold key to limb regeneration

By T.K. Randall
August 22, 2014 · Comment icon 10 comments

Many lizards can regrow their own tail. Image Credit: CC BY-SA 2.0 ToNToNi
By understanding how lizards regrow tissue it may be possible to enable the same process in humans.
Imagine being able to regrow a missing arm after an amputation or being able to regenerate your spinal cord after an accident has left you paralyzed - it might sound impossible now but scientists may soon be able to come up with a way to make it actually happen.

The key is believed to lie in the way in which a lizard can grow back its entire tail - a scale of regeneration that is unheard of throughout most of the animal kingdom.
"Lizards are the most closely-related animals to humans that can regenerate entire appendages," said lead author Kenro Kusumi. "We discovered that they turn on at least 326 genes in specific regions of the regenerating tail, including genes involved in embryonic development, response to hormonal signals and wound healing."

The researchers believe that they have identified the unique genetic "recipe" for limb regeneration in lizards and that given enough time, the same processes could be enabled in humans as well.

"Lizards basically share the same toolbox of genes as humans," said Kusumi.

Source: Nature World News | Comments (10)




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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #1 Posted by CuriousRey 10 years ago
Didn't they figure this out in the Amazing Spider Man 2? Old news!
Comment icon #2 Posted by DecoNoir 10 years ago
Didn't they figure this out in the Amazing Spider Man 2? Old news! Stan Lee predicted how this would end back in 1964! Stan Lee is Utaau the Watcher. Sorry had to let my nerd out a bit.
Comment icon #3 Posted by OverSword 10 years ago
Stan Lee predicted how this would end back in 1964! Stan Lee is Utaau the Watcher. Sorry had to let my nerd out a bit. Stole my thunder.
Comment icon #4 Posted by shrooma 10 years ago
Stole my thunder. . mine too!! .
Comment icon #5 Posted by shrooma 10 years ago
the makers of landmines must be wetting themselves..... .
Comment icon #6 Posted by :PsYKoTiC:BeHAvIoR: 10 years ago
Comment icon #7 Posted by praetorian-legio XIII 10 years ago
CNN could use a top notch anchor like Kent. Then they could get rid of the idiots they are trying to pass off as "journalists". Back on topic, I would so cut off my tongue if I could grow back a nice long forked heat sensing one. My wife would love it and I could start hanging with the reptilian crowd.
Comment icon #8 Posted by DieChecker 10 years ago
I'm still waiting for the "grow new teeth" and "grow new hair" shots to come out. "Grow back arm" would be cool too.
Comment icon #9 Posted by shrooma 10 years ago
I'm still waiting for the "grow new teeth" and "grow new hair" shots to come out. "Grow back arm" would be cool too. . i want them to make another me DC, so i can tell him he's s*it at pool. because he's not listening to me..... . the pillock. .
Comment icon #10 Posted by whichisit 10 years ago
or make yourself immortal buy understanding the biology of the lobster


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