Limb regeneration in salamanders: the plethodontid tale

Salamanders are the only vertebrates that can regenerate limbs as adults. This makes them ideal models to investigate the cellular and molecular mechanisms of tissue regeneration. Ambystoma mexicanum and Nothopthalmus viridescens have long served as primary salamander models of limb regeneration, and the recent sequencing of the axolotl genome now provides a blueprint to mine regeneration insights from other salamander species. In particular, there is a need to study South American plethodontid salamanders that present different patterns of limb development and regeneration. A broader sampling of species using next-generation sequencing approaches is needed to reveal shared and unique mechanisms of regeneration, and more generally, the evolutionary history of salamander limb regeneration.