Principal Investigator Peter Reddien
How does regeneration start? We have developed efficient and quantitative assays for measuring the response of neoblasts to wounds. There exist two peaks in mitotic neoblast numbers following wounding; the first peak occurs following many injury types. We therefore propose an initial step in regeneration involves a generic sensation of wounding. By contrast, the second mitotic peak occurs locally and only following injuries that involve missing tissue, requiring blastema formation for repair. In response to tissue absence, neoblasts migrate to wounds and are induced to differentiate. We are exploring the molecular control of regeneration initiation by seeking genes required for the process utilizing RNAi screening.