On Zebrafish Regeneration
From PLoS Biology, research into the regenerative capabilities of zebrafish: "Injured mammalian hearts cannot regenerate; instead, they scar. ... By contrast with mammals, newt and zebrafish hearts regenerate after amputation. The molecular mechanisms underlying this phenomenon have not been characterized in newts because of a lack of genetic tools. Recently, we and others showed that zebrafish fully regenerate myocardium after 20% [amputation of the ventricle]. ... zebrafish hearts regenerate by cardiomyocyte proliferation, whereas fin regeneration involves the formation of a blastema, a mass of proliferative, pluripotent progenitor cells ... we hope to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying heart regeneration in lower vertebrates. We have identified genes that serve as regulators during heart regeneration ... these genes represent promising candidates for future therapeutic approaches in regenerative medicine."