Regeneration, or the ability to recover the architecture and function of the injured tissue, is a property shared by many organisms in the animal kingdom. However, for most organisms, including humans, regeneration capacity is lost or becomes limited after embryonic development, and declines with age. The mechanisms responsible behind the decline of regeneration capacity with age are still not well understood. As an exception to the norm, some vertebrates such as newts have remarkable regeneration abilities as they can regenerate many different tissues throughout their entire life. In our lab, we study lens regeneration. Briefly, after damage or the complete removal of the lens, newts can grow a brand new lens by reprogramming the dorsal iris epithelial cells. Astonishingly, this ability is not lost after repeated damage or by old age. In this study, we used optical coherence tomography, a proliferation assay, and collagen cytochemistry to interrogate the mechanisms that control regeneration in three distinct age groups. We have identified differences in the speed of regeneration, cell-cycle dynamics, and collagen remodeling between each age group. The results from this study suggest that even though lens regeneration is not restricted to younger animals, intrinsic and extrinsic changes due to aging negatively regulates the regeneration process. These findings shed light on mechanisms that control lens regeneration in older newts and can provide meaningful insights for characterizing the agents responsible for age-related regeneration decline in other vertebrates such as humans. The insights on cellular processes I have learned through this research project will help me in my future career as a physician, as I will have to be able to understand the complex cellular biology and processes involved in my patients’ health.
Author: Gabriella Rapp, Biology
Advisor: Katia Del Rio-Tsonis, Biology
Graduate Advisor: Georgios Tsissios, Biology
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