Inactive P21 Gene Spurs Cell Regeneration In Mice

Monday, March 15, 2010 - 18:07 in Biology & Nature

In a report published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers from The Wistar Institute suggest that mice that lack the p21 gene gain the ability to regenerate lost or damaged tissue. The team says their findings provide solid evidence to link tissue regeneration to the control of cell division. Unlike typical mammals, which heal wounds by forming a scar, these mice begin by forming a blastema, a structure associated with rapid cell growth and de-differentiation as seen in amphibians. The loss of p21 causes the cells of these mice to behave more like embryonic stem cells than adult mammalian cells read more

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