title: Mitotic activity in the blastema and stump tissues of regenerating hind limbs of Xenopus laevis larvae after amputation at ankle level. An autoradiographic study.
abstract: Mitotic activity, as indicated by DNA synthesis, was studied by autoradiographic analysis along the proximodistal axis of regenerating limbs in the early and later larval stages 53 and 57 of Xenopus laevis. Wound-healing, dedifferentiation, blastema formation and growth phases were studied. Most of the various stump tissues, as well as the cell mass of the regeneration blastema, were involved. The study showed an increase in DNA synthesis in the stump tissues during their dedifferentiation as well as during blastema formation. The increase was confined mainly to the distal portion (close to the amputation level), so that a proximodistal gradient was discernible. This could be regarded as valid evidence of contribution of the severed stump tissues to the blastema cells. The mesenchymal blastema cells formed after amputation at stage 53 displayed higher mitotic activity than the fibrocytoid blastema cells formed at stage 57. Although the latter were more differentiated than the former, they still showed DNA replication and mitotic division.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, Egypt.
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Abdel-Karim
authors.forename: M I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Michael
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Anton
mesh_terms: D000672:Amputation Stumps / Q000503:physiopathology; D000818:Animals; D001345:Autoradiography; D006614:Hindlimb; D008938:Mitosis / Q000502:physiology*; D012038:Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D013643:Tarsus, Animal; D014982:Xenopus laevis / Q000502:physiology*