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Updated: Jun 26, 2026
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Adult Mouse Digit Amputation and Regeneration: A Simple Model to Investigate Mammalian Blastema Formation and Intramembranous Ossification
Published on: July 12, 2019
ErbB2 and ErbB3 regulate amputation-induced proliferation and migration during vertebrate regeneration
Agustin Rojas-Muñoz1, Shibani Rajadhyksha, Darren Gilmour
1Gene Expression Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
Developmental Biology
|January 10, 2009
Summary
The oncogenes ErbB2 and ErbB3 are crucial for vertebrate regeneration after injury. Their modulation, along with NRG1 and PI3K, significantly impacts progenitor cell migration and proliferation, essential for tissue repair.
Area of Science:
- Regenerative Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Epimorphic regeneration is a complex postembryonic growth process in metazoans, typically initiated by severe injury.
- Cell division and migration are critical for replacing cells during regeneration, but the link between injury stimuli and these processes is unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of oncogenes ErbB2 and ErbB3 in vertebrate epimorphic regeneration.
- To elucidate the signaling pathways involved in regulating progenitor cell proliferation and migration during regeneration.
Main Methods:
- Genetic and chemical modulation of ErbB function in regenerating vertebrates.
- Analysis of progenitor cell proliferation and migration following amputation.
- Investigating the functional interaction of NRG1 and PI3K with ErbB2/ErbB3.
Main Results:
- The oncogenes ErbB2 and ErbB3 were identified as essential for successful vertebrate regeneration.
- Genetic or chemical inhibition of ErbB function significantly reduced amputation-induced progenitor proliferation and migration.
- NRG1 and PI3K were found to functionally interact with ErbB2 and ErbB3, and their interference also abrogated regeneration.
Conclusions:
- ErbB, PI3K, and NRG1 form a critical signaling pathway regulating progenitor cell migration and proliferation in vertebrate regeneration.
- This pathway acts as a permissive switch from early stages of regeneration, influencing transcription factors like lef1 and msxB.
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