Reconstitution of the central nervous system during salamander tail regeneration from the implanted neurospheres

Abstract

Urodele amphibians such as axolotl are well known for their regenerative potential of the damaged central nervous system structures. Upon tail amputation, neural stem cells behind the amputation plane undergo self-renewing divisions and contribute to the functional spinal cord in the newly formed regenerate. The neural stem cells, harboring this potential, can be isolated from the animal and cultured under the suspension conditions. After 2-3 weeks in vitro they will proliferate and form the floating aggregates of the spherical shape, so-called neurospheres. Reimplanted back into the animal, the neurospheres can efficiently integrate in the spinal cord lesion and contribute to the following spinal cord regeneration events. Here we demonstrate the unique method of the axolotl tail spinal cord regeneration from the implanted neurosphere. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.