Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Compatible limb patterning mechanisms in urodeles and anurans.

S K Sessions1, D M Gardiner, S V Bryant

  • 1Developmental Biology Center, University of California, Irvine 92717.

Developmental Biology
|February 1, 1989
PubMed
Summary

Urodele and anuran amphibians share similar limb pattern-forming mechanisms. Experimental limb bud grafts between axolotls and Xenopus frogs demonstrate compatible positional signals and cellular interactions, supporting a common evolutionary basis for tetrapod limb development.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Wood-loving magic mushrooms from Australia are saprotrophic invaders in the Northern Hemisphere.

Fungal systematics and evolution·2025
Same author

Identification of Heparan-Sulfate Rich Cells in the Loose Connective Tissues of the Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) with the Potential to Mediate Growth Factor Signaling during Regeneration.

Regenerative engineering and translational medicine·2021
Same author

Role of the XylA gene, encoding a cell wall degrading enzyme, during common wheat, durum wheat and barley colonization by Fusarium graminearum.

Fungal genetics and biology : FG & B·2019
Same author

Genetic Modification of Grapevine Embryogenic Cultures.

Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)·2018
Same author

Neurotrophic regulation of epidermal dedifferentiation during wound healing and limb regeneration in the axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum).

Developmental biology·2008
Same author

The effect of four-week administration of amitriptyline on sleep bruxism. A double-blind crossover clinical study.

Cranio : the journal of craniomandibular practice·2002

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Biology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Amphibian Limb Development

Background:

  • Limb pattern formation is crucial for tetrapod evolution.
  • Understanding conserved mechanisms across amphibian groups (urodeles and anurans) is key to evolutionary insights.
  • Previous research has not experimentally compared limb development mechanisms between these two amphibian orders.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To experimentally test the similarity of limb pattern-forming mechanisms in urodeles (axolotls) and anurans (Xenopus).
  • To determine if limb outgrowth mechanisms are equivalent between these amphibian groups.
  • To investigate the compatibility of positional signals and cellular interactions in interspecies limb bud grafts.

Main Methods:

  • Reciprocal limb bud grafts were performed between Xenopus laevis (anuran) and Ambystoma mexicanum (axolotl, urodele).

Related Experiment Videos

  • Two grafting strategies were employed: contralateral grafts (anterior/posterior misalignment) and ipsilateral grafts (circumferential alignment).
  • Graft survival, host tissue response, and pattern formation (supernumerary digit formation) were analyzed.

    • Main Results:

    • Axolotl limb buds grafted to Xenopus hosts showed supernumerary digit formation prior to immune rejection.
    • Xenopus limb buds grafted to axolotl hosts did not form supernumerary digits when circumferentially aligned but did when anterior/posterior positions were misaligned.
    • Both species' cells cooperated to form recognizable skeletal elements, despite differences in cell size and growth rate.

    Conclusions:

    • Urodeles and anurans share homologous limb pattern-forming mechanisms, including compatible positional signaling.
    • Experimental cell interactions between Xenopus and axolotl tissues mimic intraspecies interactions, supporting conserved developmental pathways.
    • These findings provide a cellular interaction-based approach to understanding tetrapod limb homology.