Regeneration of surgically created mixed-handed axolotl forelimbs: pattern formation in the dorsal-ventral axis

The regeneration of surgically created mixed-handed limb stumps is examined in the axolotl. Operations were performed in the lower arm and upper arm regions and grafts were allowed to heal for approximately one month prior to amputation or were amputated immediately. In the lower arm group both anterior and posterior limb halves were inverted, whereas only posterior halves were inverted in the upper arm group. Almost all the limbs regenerated were normal in the anterior-posterior axis, whereas a range of limb types were found when the dorsal-ventral axis was analysed using the metacarpal muscle pattern and epidermal Leydig cell number as positional markers. The carpal and forearm muscle patterns were also analysed in order to assess whether the pattern determined from analysis at the metacarpal level reflected that seen at more proximal levels. The results are discussed in terms of the possible role of cell contribution from the stump to the blastema and the relevance of the study to models of pattern regulation.