REEXAMINING JAW REGENERATION IN URODELES - WHAT HAVE WE LEARNT

Urodele amphibians can regenerate not only their limbs and tails, but also their upper and lower jaws rather faithfully. However, relatively few studies of jaw regeneration in amphibians have been carried out, especially in recent years. It is therefore important to reexamine tho roughly this regenerating system, since the advent of sophisticated mo rphological techniques and the development of molecular approaches off er the promise of renewed and rapid progress in our understanding of c omplex developmental problems such as this. This paper briefly reviews some of the early research on jaw regeneration, some of the fundament al questions which have been asked and have yet to be answered, and th e work we have carried out in order to understand the molecular mechan isms underlying jaw regeneration in the newt, Notophthalmus viridescen s. In addition, some aspects of jaw regeneration will be discussed in relation to regeneration of the adult limb.