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Review
. 2020 Oct:64:31-36.
doi: 10.1016/j.gde.2020.05.019. Epub 2020 Jun 26.

Regeneration in the spiny mouse, Acomys, a new mammalian model

Aaron Gabriel W Sandoval  1 , Malcolm Maden  2
Affiliations
Review

Regeneration in the spiny mouse, Acomys, a new mammalian model

Aaron Gabriel W Sandoval et al. Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2020 Oct.

Abstract

We describe the tissues and organs that show exceptional regenerative ability following injury in the spiny mouse, Acomys. The skin and ear regenerate: hair and its associated stem cell niches, sebaceous glands, dermis, adipocytes, cartilage, smooth muscle, and skeletal muscle. Internal tissues such as the heart, kidney, muscle, and spinal cord respond to damage by showing significantly reduced inflammation and improved regeneration responses. The reason for this improved ability may lie in the immune system which shows a blunted inflammatory response to injury compared to that of the typical mammal, but we also show that there are distinct biomechanical properties of Acomys tissues. Examining the regenerative behavior of closely related mammals may provide insights into the evolution of this remarkable property.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Summary of the organs and tissues in Acomys that have been investigated for regenerative ability and the results of those experiments. In the centre is an Acomys cahirinus. The experiments described in the text are shown here. From the top going clockwise are: a biopsy punch through the ear shows a 4mm circle through the left ear regenerating perfectly; a VML of the skeletal muscle in the skin (the panniculus carnosus) is induced when full thickness skin is removed and the diagram shows that it can regenerate; when a myotoxin such as cardiotoxin is injected into the skeletal muscle and this is repeated five time the muscle still regenerates perfectly; when a myocardial infarction is induced by tying off the left descending coronary artery then the damage can be partially repaired; when a hemi-crush of the spinal cord is performed there is far less fibrosis at the site of injury than normal and a different set of genes are induced; when the kidney is damaged by obstructing the ureter or by inducing temporary ischemia then there is far less fibrosis; when full thickenss skin is removed then all of the component including hairs and sebaceous glands can regenerate without a scar. VML = volumetric muscle loss, UUO = unilateral ureteral obstruction, IRI = ischemia reperfusion injury.
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