Postmetamorphic froglets of Xenopus laevis regenerate hypomorphic unbranched spikes from amputated arm stumps. These are composed primarily of cartilage, produced from blastemalike structures sparsely populated with cells and rich in connective tissue. Some consider these outgrowths to be an example of epimorphic regeneration produced from blastemas, albeit deficient ones. Others interpret them as a case of tissue regeneration derived from fibroblastemas augmented by chondrocytes and periosteal and perichondrial fibroblasts. To resolve these alternatives, forelimbs were amputated proximal to the wrist, skinned, and inserted through the body wall into the abdominal cavity. In the absence of skin, epidermal wound healing failed to occur and blastemas could not develop. After 2 months, by which time controls had regenerated spikes averaging 3.38 mm long, the denuded stumps had not given rise to outgrowths. They typically developed cartilaginous caps on the severed ends of the radius-ulna, and in rare cases formed amorphous growths of cartilage. If blastema formation is considered diagnostic of epimorphic regeneration and tissue regeneration can proceed in the absence of epidermal wound healing and blastema formation, these findings lead to the conclusion that Xenopus limb regeneration is epimorphic.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.