Two transcriptional cascades orchestrate cockroach leg regeneration

The mystery of appendage regeneration has fascinated humans for centuries, while the underlying regulatory mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we establish a transcriptional landscape of regenerating leg in the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana, an ideal model in appendage regeneration studies showing remarkable regeneration capacity. Through a large-scale in vivo screening, we identify multiple signaling pathways and transcription factors controlling leg regeneration. Specifically, zfh-2 and bowl contribute to blastema cell proliferation and morphogenesis in two transcriptional cascades: bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)/JAK-STAT-zfh-2-B-H2 and Notch-drm/bowl-bab1. Notably, we find zfh-2 is working as a direct target of BMP signaling to promote cell proliferation in the blastema. These mechanisms might be conserved in the appendage regeneration of vertebrates from an evolutionary perspective. Overall, our findings reveal that two crucial transcriptional cascades orchestrate distinct cockroach leg regeneration processes, significantly advancing the comprehension of molecular mechanism in appendage regeneration.