Cellular contribution from dermis and cartilage to the regenerating limb blastema in axolotls

Using the triploid/diploid cell marker in the axolotl, Ambystoma mexicanum, we have analyzed the extent to which cells derived from the dermis and the skeleton contribute to the regenerating limb blastema. We found that dermal cells contribute 43% of the blastemal cell population whereas cells derived from skeletal tissue contribute only 2%. When compared to the availability of cells at the plane of amputation, dermal cells overcontribute by greater than twofold whereas skeletal cells undercontribute by several-fold. These data correlate with the effects that these two tissues have on the formation of the limb pattern during regeneration; dermis has a dramatic influence on pattern and skeletal tissue has virtually no effect. It is suggested that the fibroblasts present in the dermis and in other parts of the limb form virtually all of the mesodermal tissues in the regenerate with the exception of the muscle.