Spinal Cord Regeneration in Xenopus

After an injury, adult mammals do not regenerate or repair their central nervous system in general, and their spinal cord in particular, leading to life-long disabilities. However, many aquatic species such as zebrafish, salamanders and frogs, as well as some land reptiles (turtles and lizards) have the remarkable ability to regenerate their spinal cords. In the case of anurans such as Xenopus, this is a transient ability that disappears after metamorphosis, making it an interesting model with accessible regenerative and nonregenerative stages within the same species. Here, we will summarize our current understanding of the mechanisms that underly spinal cord regeneration in Xenopus tadpoles and describe methods to study changes in cellular state after different paradigms of spinal cord injury.