Tissue repair brakes: A common paradigm in the biology of regeneration

Abstract

To date, most attention on tissue regeneration has focused on the exploration of positive cues promoting or allowing the engagement of natural cellular restoration upon injury. In contrast, the signals fostering cell identity maintenance in the vertebrate body have been poorly investigated; yet they are crucial, for their counteraction could become a powerful method to induce and modulate regeneration. Here we review the mechanisms inhibiting pro‐regenerative spontaneous adaptive cell responses in different model organisms and organs. The pharmacological or genetic/epigenetic modulation of such regenerative brakes could release a dormant but innate adaptive competence of certain cell types and therefore boost tissue regeneration in different situations.

Adult Pancreatic Islet Endocrine Cells Emerge as Fetal Hormone-Expressing Cells

“…Thus, our observations are compatible with the notion that islet maintenance during life relies on the longevity with low proliferation rates of the endocrine cells present at birth (Perez-Frances et al, 2021). Under injury or metabolic stress, regenerative processes involving alternative sources, such as islet non-b-cell-type interconversion, may become relevant (Cigliola et al, 2018(Cigliola et al, , 2020Chera et al, 2014;Thorel et al, 2010;Ye et al, 2016;Bernard-Kargar and Ktorza, 2001;Zhao et al, 2021).…”

Adult pancreatic islet endocrine cells emerge as fetal hormone-expressing cells

“…Thus, our observations are compatible with the notion that islet maintenance during life relies on the longevity with low proliferation rates of the endocrine cells present at birth ( Perez-Frances et al., 2021 ). Under injury or metabolic stress, regenerative processes involving alternative sources, such as islet non-β-cell-type interconversion, may become relevant ( Cigliola et al., 2018 , 2020 ; Chera et al., 2014 ; Thorel et al., 2010 ; Ye et al., 2016 ; Bernard-Kargar and Ktorza, 2001 ; Zhao et al., 2021 ).…”

Advances in Biotechnology for Cellular and Tissue Regeneration: Challenges and Perspectives in Human Disease Treatment

“…The specificity crucial in cells of tissues in more complex animals is inversely proportional to their regenerative capacity. Therefore, exploring the genetics involved, coupled with evolutionarily conserved inhibitory signals, may aid in understanding these processes (Chen;Poss, 2017;Cigliola et al, 2020).…”