Linking wound response and inflammation to regeneration in the zebrafish larval fin

The study of regenerative biology aims to elucidate the innate ability of organisms to replace tissues or organs after they have been removed or damaged. The zebrafish is a powerful model for the analysis of intracellular signalling and cell behaviour and as such has made major contributions to our understanding of regenerative biology. The larval fin fold is an emerging model to understand how different signalling pathways interact to coordinate regeneration. Tissue damage causes the immediate release of signals that initiate wound closure and inflammation. Following this, regenerative cells proliferate and migrate to the damaged area. Each of these processes has been analysed using the larval fin fold model to provide a framework for how fin regeneration takes place. This review gives an overview of the current state of this field with particular emphasis on the different signalling networks that are required during fin fold regeneration.