UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Although salamanders are characteristic amphibians in Holarctic temperate habitats, in tropical regions they have diversified evolutionarily only in tropical America. An adaptive radiation centered...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Salamanders regenerate their appendages after amputation and nerves are required for this process. Experiments were designed to test the idea that one way nerves could affect blastema cell proliferation is by influencing the metabolism of extracellular matrix (ECM) components and to identify neurotrophic factors which promote blastema cell mitosis. Temporal and spatial differences of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) synthesis is innervated and denervated limbs were examined. Hyaluronic acid (HA) was found to be the major GAG produced during the proliferative period and chondroitin sulfate during differentiation. Denervation reduced synthesis of both these components by half. Dorsal root ganglia and fibroblast growth factor (FGF), a brain-derived mitogen, similarly doubled GAG synthesis in cultured blastemas, the FGF-effect being primarily on HA production. Histochemical and autoradiographical results confirmed the biochemical data. Autoradiography of the limb tissue ...