Overview
The complex phenomenon of limb regeneration that occurs in some Amphibia involves unique molecular and cellular mechanisms. When a limb is amputated a new one is produced by the transformation of the remaining adult limb tissues into an embryonic-like cell mass, called the blastema. The blastema has the ability to subsequently redifferentiate into the various tissues that comprise a limb and therefore replace the lost part. Some scientists argue that the same processes that are encountered in normal embryogenesis are reinitiated during regeneration. This is the first book that describes and analyzes the mechanisms of both limb regeneration and patterning by incorporating the information obtained from older experiments with the many new advances in molecular and cellular biology that have occurred in recent years.