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Rethinking the Blastema PLASTIC AND RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY Hyun, J. S., Chung, M. T., Wong, V. W., Montoro, D., Longaker, M. T., Wan, D. C. 2012; 129 (5): 1097-1103

Abstract

The phenomenon of tissue regeneration has been well documented across many species. Although some possess the capacity to completely restore an entire amputated limb, others are limited to just the distal digit tip. Initiation of limb regeneration has been described to start with the formation of a blastema, the composition of which has long been thought to consist of undifferentiated pluripotent cells derived through the process of dedifferentiation. Competing theories have been proposed, however, including cellular contributions through transdifferentiation and tissue-specific stem cells. Recent studies have now begun to shed light on this controversy, demonstrating tissue resident stem cells to be an evolutionarily conserved measure for limb regeneration.

View details for DOI 10.1097/PRS.0b013e31824a2c49

View details for Web of Science ID 000303497300059

View details for PubMedID 22544093