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Updated: Dec 7, 2025

Adult Mouse Digit Amputation and Regeneration: A Simple Model to Investigate Mammalian Blastema Formation and Intramembranous Ossification
Published on: July 12, 2019
Cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate mammalian digit tip regeneration
Mekayla A Storer1, Freda D Miller1,2,3,4
1Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada M5G 1L7.
Abstract:
Digit tip regeneration is one of the few examples of true multi-tissue regeneration in an adult mammal. The key step in this process is the formation of the blastema, a transient proliferating cell mass that generates the different cell types of the digit to replicate the original structure. Failure to form the blastema results in a lack of regeneration and has been postulated to be the reason why mammalian limbs cannot regrow following amputation. Understanding how the blastema forms and functions will help us to determine what is required for mammalian regeneration to occur and will provide insights into potential therapies for mammalian tissue regeneration and repair. This review summarizes the cellular and molecular mechanisms that influence murine blastema formation and govern digit tip regeneration.
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