Generales

The Genetics, Regeneration and Cancer Research Group at Universidad de Antioquia, is the only of its kind in Latin America that uses salamanders for molecular research.

In 2014, UdeA researchers obtained a colony of axolotls via the Ambystoma Genetic Stock Center (AGSC) at the University of Kentucky.

Salamanders have served as model organisms for more than a century. A majority of the earliest embryological and morphological analyses of vertebrate development were conducted using salamander embryos. Today, salamanders continue to be the best animal models for several areas of research and a new generation of researchers are adopting salamanders – and in particular the Mexican axolotl - as their primary animal model.

It is fascinating to know that some organisms have an amazing ability to regenerate lost limbs and other body parts like stem cells do. For example, amphibians have cells capable of regenerating complete limbs including muscles and joints, or even fragments of important organs such as the entire lens and retina, the brain and the intestines.

For over 16 years, Professor Jean Paul Delgado, a researcher at the UdeA Genetics, Regeneration and Cancer Research Group, has conducted research on the regenerative capacity of amphibians.  A team of researchers led by Professor Delgado, is conducting a study to identify the genes responsible for regenerative processes in salamanders, learn why these genes are not present in mammals, and how humans could eventually regrow body parts.

One of the purposes of the team of researchers is to develop solutions for people with disabilities through the implementation of projects aimed at conducting research in the field of regenerative medicine.

To some extent, all animals have the ability to regenerate some organs. Humans, for example, enjoy a limited ability to regrow body parts such as the skin, oral and gastrointestinal mucosa, blood and bones.  However, regeneration of whole limbs or fragments of endocrine organs only occurs in certain amphibians such as salamanders and frogs, and in some reptiles and crustaceans.

Marcela Arenas, a biology PhD student at Universidad de Antioquia, says she became interested in organ regeneration during her undergraduate training. “I had the opportunity to visit a research lab dedicated to tissue engineering and cell therapy, which encouraged me to learn more about the biology of regeneration in order to better understand the mechanisms through which some organisms can regrow body parts,” she said.       

Salamanders and axolotls  

When Aristotle refers to salamanders in his treatises on animals, he wonders why some living things can regrow limbs while others cannot, and why a detached limb continues to move after amputation. Still, it was not until the 18th century that it was clearly established how salamanders regenerate lost limbs.

According to Professor Delgado, the discovery of DNA in the twentieth century would shed new light on regenerative processes. “This discovery not only helped researchers understand regenerative processes but also shed new light on the genes and proteins involved in limb regeneration,” Delgado said.

UdeA researchers are sequencing genomes of Colombian salamanders in order to identify proteins and other gene components of this species since salamanders resemble humans as they evolve from babies to adults rather than experiencing a larval stage.  

In 2014, UdeA researchers obtained a colony of axolotls via the Ambystoma Genetic Stock Center (AGSC) at the University of Kentucky, a genetic stock center dedicated to the supply of genetically well-characterized axolotl embryos, larvae, and adults to laboratories and classrooms throughout the United States and abroad. AGSC encouraged UdeA researchers to develop programs aimed at maintaining the genetic characteristics of this species. “To date, Universidad de Antioquia is the only university in Latin America that investigates the molecular and cellular biology of these amphibians,” Professor Delgado said.      

The axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) is a large salamander native to Lake Xochimilco, Mexico. They are considered a critically endangered species due to overexploitation, trapping, and deterioration of their natural habitat.

The Genetics, Regeneration and Cancer Research Group also works closely with researchers from Universidad Catolica de Brasilia (UCB) in Brazil, and Universidad Catolica de Chile.  On the other hand, UdeA researchers joined the Frozen Ark Project, a London-based initiative dedicated to collect, preserve and store tissue from endangered animals for use in conservation and research programs. Researchers from both institutions are working together to implement regenerative medicine techniques that help preserve the genetic record of endangered species. A biobank to store stem cells from jaguars, Andean bears and sloths, among other species, is expected to be established next year.