Abstract
How the immune system affects tissue regeneration is not well understood. In this study, we used an emerging mammalian model of epimorphic regeneration, the African spiny mouse, to examine cell-based inflammation and tested the hypothesis that macrophages are necessary for regeneration. By directly comparing inflammatory cell activation in a 4 mm ear injury during regeneration (Acomys cahirinus) and scarring (Mus musculus), we found that both species exhibited an acute inflammatory response, with scarring characterized by stronger myeloperoxidase activity. In contrast, ROS production was stronger and more persistent during regeneration. By depleting macrophages during injury, we demonstrate a functional requirement for these cells to stimulate regeneration. Importantly, the spatial distribution of activated macrophage subtypes was unique during regeneration with pro-inflammatory macrophages failing to infiltrate the regeneration blastema. Together, our results demonstrate an essential role for inflammatory cells to regulate a regenerative response.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-16-2017
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.24623
Funding Information
This work was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Office for International Science and Engineering (OISE) (IOS −1353713) to AWS. JS is supported by a University of Kentucky Postdoctoral Research Fellowship.
Repository Citation
Simkin, Jennifer; Gawriluk, Thomas R.; Gensel, John C.; and Seifert, Ashley W., "Macrophages Are Necessary for Epimorphic Regeneration in African Spiny Mice" (2017). Biology Faculty Publications. 105.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/biology_facpub/105
Figures and figure supplements
Notes/Citation Information
Published in eLife, v. 6, e24623, p. 1-26.
© 2017, Simkin et al
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.