The zebrafish as a model of heart regeneration.
Regeneration is a complex biological process by which animals can restore the shape, structure and function of body parts lost after injury, or after experimental amputation. Only a few species of vertebrates display the capacity to regenerate body parts during adulthood. In the case of the heart, newts display a remarkable ability to regenerate large portions of myocardium after amputation, although the mechanisms underlying this process have not been addressed. Recently, it has been shown that adult zebrafish can also regenerate their hearts, thus offering new possibilities for experimentally approaching this fascinating biological phenomenon. The first insights into heart regeneration gained by studying this model organism are reviewed here.
Raya
Angel
A
Gene Expression Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
Consiglio
Antonella
A
Kawakami
Yasuhiko
Y
Rodriguez-Esteban
Concepcion
C
Izpisúa-Belmonte
Juan Carlos
JC
D000818:Animals; D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology*; D023421:Models, Animal; D012038:Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000502:physiology*