Changes in regeneration-responsive enhancers shape regenerative capacities in vertebrates

• DOI: 10.1126/science.aaz3090
• Publication Date: 2020-09-03T23:10:24Z
• Authors: Wei Wang; Chi-Kuo Hu; An Zeng; Dana Alegre; Deqing Hu; Kirsten Gotting; Augusto Ortega Gr...; Yongfu Wang; Sofia Robb; Robert Schnittker; Shasha Zhang; Dillon Alegre; Hua Li; Eric Ross; Ning Zhang; Anne Brunet; Alejandro Sánchez...
• Keywords: Transcriptional Activation; Gene Expression Profiling; Killifishes; Amino Acid Motifs; Epigenesis, Genetic; Evolution, Molecular; Histones; Transcription Factor AP-1; Enhancer Elements, Genetic; Animals; Regeneration; RNA-Seq; 14. Life underwater; Single-Cell Analysis; Zebrafish; Inhibin-beta Subunits

Regulatory elements of fish regeneration

Some animals regenerate extensively, whereas others, such as mammals, do not. The reason behind this difference is not clear. If the genetic mechanisms driving regeneration are evolutionarily conserved, the study of distantly related species that are subjected to different selective pressures could identify distinguishing species-specific and conserved regeneration-responsive mechanisms. Zebrafish and the short-lived African killifish are separated by ∼230 million years of evolutionary distance and, as such, provide a biological context to elucidate molecular mechanisms. Wang et al. identify both species-specific and evolutionarily conserved regeneration programs in these fish. They also provide evidence that elements of this program are subjected to evolutionary changes in vertebrate species with limited or no regenerative capacities.

Science , this issue p. eaaz3090