Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Whole Body Regeneration

Whole Body Regeneration

Regeneration is the process of restoring injured or lost tissues, organs, or body parts. While simpler organisms generally show greater ability to regenerate their whole body, few complex animals show similarly exceptional regeneration. For example, planarian flatworms have a unique regenerative potential making them a popular study organism among biologists to understand the mechanisms of whole body regeneration. Other organisms, such as hydra, also show extreme regeneration potential; even...

Overview of Regeneration and Repair

Overview of Regeneration and Repair

Regeneration and repair processes are critical in healing damages caused by injury, disease, and aging. In regeneration, the damaged tissue is entirely replaced with new growth that restores the original architecture and function. In contrast, tissue repair usually results in a fixed tissue architecture involving scar formation. Scars generally do not reestablish tissue function and may also exhibit structural abnormalities at the injury site.
Regeneration
All animals have varying degrees of...

Neurogenesis and Regeneration of Nervous Tissue

Neurogenesis and Regeneration of Nervous Tissue

In the CNS, neurogenesis, the birth of new neurons from stem cells, is limited to the hippocampus in adults. In other regions of the brain and spinal cord, neurogenesis is almost non-existent due to inhibitory influences from neuroglia, especially oligodendrocytes, and the absence of growth-stimulating cues. The myelin produced by oligodendrocytes in the CNS inhibits neuronal regeneration. Furthermore, astrocytes proliferate rapidly after neuronal damage, forming scar tissue that physically...

Tissue Renewal without Stem Cells

Tissue Renewal without Stem Cells

After cellular or tissue damage, the resident stem cells present in the human body can locally repair and regenerate the damaged tissue or organ. However, even though some tissues do not have stem cells, they can repair and regenerate with the help of pre-existing cells. For example, beta cells of the pancreas and hepatocytes of the liver can divide to renew and regenerate the tissue. Here, both cell division and cell death are well regulated by homeostasis.
However, failure of such a system...

Liver Regeneration

Liver Regeneration

The liver is an important organ in vertebrates that plays an essential role in metabolism. It is also responsible for storing and redistributing nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, and vitamins in the body. Additionally, the liver releases bile salts which are critical for digesting food and eliminating toxic metabolites from the body.
Cells of Liver
The liver comprises four major types of cells— hepatocytes, stellate, Kupffer, and sinusoidal endothelial cells. The hepatocytes are large...

Renewal of Skin Epidermal Stem Cells

Renewal of Skin Epidermal Stem Cells

The skin is divided into epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis, the skin's outermost, middle, and inner layers. The human epidermal layer regularly undergoes renewal, where old, dead cells are replaced by new cells. Epidermal stem cells or EpiSCs divide and differentiate to restore the lost cells. For the renewal process, some EpiSCs continuously self-renew. In contrast, few others differentiate into transit-amplifying cells, which later form prickle or spinous cells, followed by granular cells,...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Notch coordinates self-organization of germ layers and axial polarity in sea anemone gastruloids.

Nature communications·2026

Same author

Single-cell transcriptomics and RNAi screening define a hierarchical program of planarian eye regeneration.

Cell reports·2026

Same author

Axolotls retain fertility throughout lifespan.

BMC biology·2026

Same author

<i>map3k1</i> is required for spatial restriction of progenitor differentiation in planarians.

eLife·2026

Same author

Divergent stem cell mechanisms govern the primary body axis and appendage regeneration in the axolotl.

Science advances·2026

Same author

A Robust and Reproducible Protocol for Neural Tube Organoid Generation from Single Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells.

Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 31, 2026

Chemical Amputation and Regeneration of the Pharynx in the Planarian Schmidtea mediterranea

Chemical Amputation and Regeneration of the Pharynx in the Planarian Schmidtea mediterranea

Published on: March 26, 2018

The cellular basis for animal regeneration.

Elly M Tanaka¹, Peter W Reddien

¹Technical University of Dresden, DFG Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden, c/o Max Planck Institute of Cell Biology and Genetics, Pfotenhauerstrasse 108, Dresden, Germany. elly.tanaka@crt-dresden.de

Developmental Cell

|July 19, 2011

Summary

Animal regeneration is a fascinating biological process. Recent studies reveal diverse cellular strategies, including pluripotent stem cells and lineage-restricted progenitors, drive tissue repair across species.

More Related Videos

Capturing Tissue Repair in Zebrafish Larvae with Time-lapse Brightfield Stereomicroscopy

Capturing Tissue Repair in Zebrafish Larvae with Time-lapse Brightfield Stereomicroscopy

Published on: January 31, 2015

An Apical Resection Model in the Adult Xenopus tropicalis Heart

An Apical Resection Model in the Adult Xenopus tropicalis Heart

Published on: November 18, 2022

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 31, 2026

Chemical Amputation and Regeneration of the Pharynx in the Planarian Schmidtea mediterranea

Chemical Amputation and Regeneration of the Pharynx in the Planarian Schmidtea mediterranea

Published on: March 26, 2018

Capturing Tissue Repair in Zebrafish Larvae with Time-lapse Brightfield Stereomicroscopy

Capturing Tissue Repair in Zebrafish Larvae with Time-lapse Brightfield Stereomicroscopy

Published on: January 31, 2015

An Apical Resection Model in the Adult Xenopus tropicalis Heart

An Apical Resection Model in the Adult Xenopus tropicalis Heart

Published on: November 18, 2022

Area of Science:

Regenerative Biology
Developmental Biology
Cellular Biology

Background:

Animal regeneration is a poorly understood biological phenomenon.
Identifying the sources of new cells for regeneration has been a long-standing challenge.
Recent technological advancements enable detailed cell fate tracking in complex regenerating tissues.

Purpose of the Study:

To elucidate the cellular mechanisms underlying regeneration in various animal models.
To compare the different cell sources utilized for tissue repair across diverse species.

Main Methods:

Utilized cell fate tracking techniques in complex tissues.
Investigated regeneration in model organisms including Hydra, planarians, zebrafish, Xenopus, and Axolotl.

Main Results:

Planarians regenerate using adult pluripotent stem cells.
Vertebrates like zebrafish and Xenopus employ lineage-restricted progenitor cells from various tissues.
Regeneration involves a spectrum of cellular strategies, from pluripotent stem cells to tissue-specific stem cells and dedifferentiation.

Conclusions:

Diverse cellular strategies contribute to animal regeneration.
Understanding these mechanisms provides insights into fundamental biological processes and potential therapeutic applications.