title: Transcriptomic analysis of tail regeneration in the lizard Anolis carolinensis reveals activation of conserved vertebrate developmental and repair mechanisms.
abstract: Lizards, which are amniote vertebrates like humans, are able to lose and regenerate a functional tail. Understanding the molecular basis of this process would advance regenerative approaches in amniotes, including humans. We have carried out the first transcriptomic analysis of tail regeneration in a lizard, the green anole Anolis carolinensis, which revealed 326 differentially expressed genes activating multiple developmental and repair mechanisms. Specifically, genes involved in wound response, hormonal regulation, musculoskeletal development, and the Wnt and MAPK/FGF pathways were differentially expressed along the regenerating tail axis. Furthermore, we identified 2 microRNA precursor families, 22 unclassified non-coding RNAs, and 3 novel protein-coding genes significantly enriched in the regenerating tail. However, high levels of progenitor/stem cell markers were not observed in any region of the regenerating tail. Furthermore, we observed multiple tissue-type specific clusters of proliferating cells along the regenerating tail, not localized to the tail tip. These findings predict a different mechanism of regeneration in the lizard than the blastema model described in the salamander and the zebrafish, which are anamniote vertebrates. Thus, lizard tail regrowth involves the activation of conserved developmental and wound response pathways, which are potential targets for regenerative medical therapies.
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America.
authors.forename: Elizabeth D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Hutchins
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America.
authors.forename: Glenn J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Markov
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America.
authors.forename: Walter L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Eckalbar
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America.
authors.forename: Rajani M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: George
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America.
authors.forename: Jesse M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: King
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America.
authors.forename: Minami A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Tokuyama
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America.
authors.forename: Lauren A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Geiger
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America.
authors.forename: Nataliya
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Emmert
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Ammar
authors.affiliation: Neurogenomics Division, Translational Genomics Research Institute, Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America.
authors.forename: April N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.affiliation: Neurogenomics Division, Translational Genomics Research Institute, Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America.
authors.forename: Ashley L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Siniard
authors.affiliation: Neurogenomics Division, Translational Genomics Research Institute, Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America.
authors.forename: Jason J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Corneveaux
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America; Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix, Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America.
authors.forename: Rebecca E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.affiliation: Departments of Psychology and Zoology, Program in Neuroscience, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, United States of America.
authors.forename: Juli
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wade
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America.
authors.forename: Dale F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: DeNardo
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America.
authors.forename: J Alan
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Rawls
authors.affiliation: Neurogenomics Division, Translational Genomics Research Institute, Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America.
authors.forename: Matthew J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Huentelman
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America.
authors.forename: Jeanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wilson-Rawls
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America; Neurogenomics Division, Translational Genomics Research Institute, Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America; Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix, Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America.
authors.forename: Kenro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kusumi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D008116:Lizards / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D012038:Regeneration / Q000235:genetics*; D013623:Tail / Q000502:physiology*; D059467:Transcriptome; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000235:genetics*