Submission Date

7-18-2024

Document Type

Paper- Restricted to Campus Access

Department

Biology

Faculty Mentor

Ellen Dawley

Comments

Presented during the 26th Annual Summer Fellows Symposium, July 19, 2024 at Ursinus College.

Project Description

Ambystoma mexicanum, commonly known as the Axolotl, possesses the unique ability to regenerate extremities and heal wounds at a rapid rate. Axolotls are considered paedomorphic salamanders, maintaining the juvenile features of Ambystoma tigrinum, their tiger salamander counterpart, into their adulthood. The axolotl nervous system varies from mammalian nervous systems due to their lack of astrocytes. Astrocytes are a type of glial cell within the central nervous system of mammals that act as the main injury reactive glial cells, as they produce neural scars at injury sites through a process called astrogliosis, preventing regeneration. Without astrocytes, neural scarring within axolotls does not take place, and ependymal reorganization can occur, allowing for nearly perfect regeneration of tissue. Within the processes of regenerating neurons and radial glial cells, Doublecortin (DCX) and Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP) respectively are hypothesized to aid in neural migration. By utilizing immunohistochemistry staining that targets DCX and GFAP within amputated axolotl tail spinal cords, I have labeled the migration of new neurons and division of radial glial cells. New neurons were found travelling out radially from the center of the spinal cord conjunction with RGC processes. I have found that they are primarily localized at the ventral portion of the ependymal layer within the spinal cord. This suggests that the developing ependymal tube secretes signaling molecules that direct the development of the cartilage rod formed by blastemal cells nearby.

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