BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 X-WR-CALNAME;VALUE=TEXT:Epimorphic regeneration in African spiny mice PRODID:-//Harvard events data//EN BEGIN:VEVENT UID:event_570871_0 SUMMARY:Epimorphic regeneration in African spiny mice DESCRIPTION:

Ashley Seifert, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Kentucky

The degree to which some mammals can regenerate tissues in response to injury is contentious.  In most cases, injury induces inflammation followed by intense fibrosis.  The eventual result of these concurrent processes is scar tissue.  However, there are a few well-documented cases where adult mammals can regenerate complex tissues as adults.  Previously this list included rabbits and hares until the discovery that African spiny mice (Acomys kempi and A. percivali) could regenerate full-thickness skin wounds and complex tissue in the ear pinna.  I will present recent work from my laboratory comparing regeneration and scarring across wild-caught and laboratory rodent species demonstrating regeneration in mammals is a discrete trait.  Importantly, our comparative species data demonstrates that a 4 mm ear-hole punch assay can reliably test for regenerative ability across mammalian species.  In other regenerating vertebrates (e.g., salamanders, newts, zebrafish), injured structures undergo a morphogenic process known as epimorphic regeneration that mediates the repair, development and replacement of cells, strata, and tissues to restore the form and function of the damaged organ. I will present evidence that spiny mice form a blastema to regenerate tissue and that differences in the extracellular environment are an important component of the regenerative response. Together, our data unites blastema formation and tissue regeneration in spiny mice with regeneration in other vertebrates such as salamanders, newts and zebrafish where all healthy adults regenerate in response to injury.

LOCATION:Sherman Fairchild G62 STATUS:CONFIRMED DTSTART:20151103T153000Z DTEND:20151103T153000Z END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR