Abstract
Spiny mice (Acomys spp.) are warm-blooded (homeothermic) vertebrates whose ability to restore missing tissue through regenerative healing has coincided with the evolution of unique cellular and physiological adaptations across different tissue types. This review seeks to explore how these bizarre rodents deploy unique or altered injury response mechanisms to either enhance tissue repair or fully regenerate excised tissue compared to closely related, scar-forming mammals. First, we examine overall trends in healing Acomys tissues, including the cellular stress response, the ability to activate and maintain cell cycle progression, and the expression of certain features in reproductive adults that are normally associated with embryos. Second, we focus on specific cell types that exhibit precisely regulated proliferation to restore missing tissue. While Acomys utilize many of the same cell types involved in scar formation, these cells exhibit divergent activation profiles during regenerative healing. Considered together, current lines of evidence support sustained deployment of proregenerative pathways in conjunction with transient activation of fibrotic pathways to facilitate regeneration and improve tissue repair in Acomys.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 5-26 |
| Number of pages | 22 |
| Journal | Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences |
| Volume | 1544 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Feb 2025 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2025 The New York Academy of Sciences.
Funding
We thank the members of the Seifert lab for illuminating discussions and for unfettered access to their unpublished observations. R.S.A. is funded by the University of Kentucky T. H. Morgan fellowship and R01-AR070313 (NIAMS). Funding for research supporting this review was provided in part to A.W.S. by the following sources: DOD W81XWH-20-PRORP-ARA, NIH R01 AR070313, R21 DE028070, and Seed Biotech Inc. We thank the members of the Seifert lab for illuminating discussions and for unfettered access to their unpublished observations. R.S.A. is funded by the University of Kentucky T. H. Morgan fellowship and R01\u2010AR070313 (NIAMS). Funding for research supporting this review was provided in part to A.W.S. by the following sources: DOD W81XWH\u201020\u2010PRORP\u2010ARA, NIH R01 AR070313, R21 DE028070, and Seed Biotech Inc.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Seed Biotech Inc. | |
| University of Kentucky | R01‐AR070313 |
| University of Kentucky | |
| National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases | DOD W81XWH‐20‐PRORP‐ARA |
| National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases | |
| National Institutes of Health (NIH) | R01 AR070313, R21 DE028070 |
| National Institutes of Health (NIH) |
Keywords
- cell cycle
- fibrosis
- injury response
- regeneration
- spiny mice
- wound healing
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Neuroscience
- General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
- History and Philosophy of Science