Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 30, 2026

Direct Gene Knock-out of Axolotl Spinal Cord Neural Stem Cells via Electroporation of CAS9 Protein-gRNA Complexes
Published on: July 9, 2019
Planar cell polarity-mediated induction of neural stem cell expansion during axolotl spinal cord regeneration
Aida Rodrigo Albors1,2,3, Akira Tazaki1,2,3, Fabian Rost4
1Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft - Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
Abstract:
Axolotls are uniquely able to mobilize neural stem cells to regenerate all missing regions of the spinal cord. How a neural stem cell under homeostasis converts after injury to a highly regenerative cell remains unknown. Here, we show that during regeneration, axolotl neural stem cells repress neurogenic genes and reactivate a transcriptional program similar to embryonic neuroepithelial cells. This dedifferentiation includes the acquisition of rapid cell cycles, the switch from neurogenic to proliferative divisions, and the re-expression of planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway components. We show that PCP induction is essential to reorient mitotic spindles along the anterior-posterior axis of elongation, and orthogonal to the cell apical-basal axis. Disruption of this property results in premature neurogenesis and halts regeneration. Our findings reveal a key role for PCP in coordinating the morphogenesis of spinal cord outgrowth with the switch from a homeostatic to a regenerative stem cell that restores missing tissue.
More Related Videos
11:52Establishment of an Electrophysiological Platform for Modeling ALS with Regionally-Specific Human Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Astrocytes and Neurons
Published on: August 26, 2021
11:13Stem cell-like Xenopus Embryonic Explants to Study Early Neural Developmental Features In Vitro and In Vivo
Published on: February 2, 2016
Related Concept Videos
Whole Body Regeneration
Neurulation
Neurogenesis and Regeneration of Nervous Tissue