Scientists at the University of Guelph have pinpointed the type of stem cell that allows geckos to re-grow their tails, a finding that could have applications in spinal cord treatments for humans.
Geckos are able to re-grow a new tail within 30 days, which is faster than any other type of lizard. Like other lizards, geckos have a spinal cord that runs through their tail, and are the source of the tail’s re-growth.
For this study, the researchers detached gecko tails and investigated what happens at a cellular level before and after injury occurred. They found a type of stem cell called radial glia that normally remain quiet, but begin making different proteins and proliferating more following injury.
In humans, spinal cord injury leads to formation of scar tissue that seals the wound quickly, but prevents regeneration. "This may play a role in why we have a limited ability to repair our spinal cords. We are missing the key cells types required," said Prof. Matthew Vickaryous who led the study. The current findings could someday become the basis for treatment of patients that have undergone spinal cord injury.
The results were reported the Journal of Comparative Neurology.
Image: A leopard gecko. Image courtesy of the Vickaryous Lab.