Scientists from the Keck School of Medicine at USC have published the first detailed description of the interplay between two cell types that allow lizards to regenerate their tails. Their study, "Single-cell analysis of lizard blastema fibroblasts reveals phagocyte-dependent activation of Hedgehog-responsive chondrogenesis," which was funded by the NIH and appears in Nature Communications, focused on lizards' unusual ability to rebuild cartilage, which replaces bone as the main structural tissue in regenerated tails after tail loss.
The discovery might eventually offer insights for researchers studying how to rebuild cartilage damaged by osteoarthritis in humans, a degenerative and debilitating disease that affects about 32.5 million adults in the U.S., according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There is currently no cure for osteoarthritis.
The study's lead author, Thomas Lozito, assistant professor of orthopedic surgery and stem cell biology and regenerative medicine at the Keck School of Medicine, said that lizards are "kind of magical in their ability to regenerate cartilage because they can regenerate large amounts of cartilage and it doesn't transition to bone."
Lozito and his team found that two cell types, fibroblasts and phagocytes, work together to initiate and promote cartilage regeneration in lizards. Fibroblasts are the main cell type in the blastema, the mass of cells that forms at the site of the tail injury and gives rise to the regenerated tail. Phagocytes are immune cells that help to remove debris and promote healing.
The researchers found that phagocytes release a protein called Hedgehog, which signals to fibroblasts to start producing cartilage. The fibroblasts then differentiate into chondrocytes, the cells that make up cartilage.
The study's findings could help researchers develop new treatments for osteoarthritis. One possibility is to use growth factors or other molecules to stimulate the production of Hedgehog in human cartilage cells. Another possibility is to develop drugs that target phagocytes to promote cartilage regeneration.
Lozito and his team are currently working to develop new therapies for osteoarthritis based on their findings. They are also studying how to use the lizard model to understand other aspects of regeneration, such as the regeneration of bone and muscle.
The study's findings are a significant step forward in the understanding of cartilage regeneration and could lead to new treatments for osteoarthritis and other diseases that involve cartilage damage.
Another study, led by David Kaplan at the University of Chicago, is developing drugs that target phagocytes to promote cartilage regeneration. The researchers believe that these drugs could help to clear away debris and promote the growth of new cartilage cells.
These are just a few of the many studies that are currently underway to apply the findings of the lizard cartilage regeneration study to cartilage regeneration in humans. It is still too early to say when these treatments will be available to patients, but the research is moving in a promising direction.
In addition to the studies mentioned above, there are several other research groups that are working on using the lizard model to understand cartilage regeneration. These groups are studying the molecular mechanisms that control cartilage regeneration in lizards, as well as the role of different cell types in the regeneration process. This research is essential for developing new treatments for osteoarthritis and other diseases that involve cartilage damage.
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