Model Systems for Studying Regeneration and Advancing Human Health

Regeneration is a fundamental biological process that restores damaged tissues and organs, and understanding its underlying mechanisms is crucial for advancing human health. Model organisms have been instrumental in uncovering the cellular and molecular principles of regeneration and morphogenesis. Among these, zebrafish and Xenopus are widely used due to their remarkable regenerative capacities and accessibility for experimental manipulation. Zebrafish can regenerate fins, heart tissue, and parts of the central nervous system, providing a platform to study tissue-specific regeneration and stem cell dynamics. Xenopus embryos offer insights into early development and organ formation, allowing researchers to connect morphogenetic processes with regenerative potential.

Mice are extensively used to model human biology and disease. Although their regenerative capacity is limited compared to zebrafish or Xenopus, genetically engineered mice allow dissection of molecular pathways and testing of therapeutic strategies. The mouse gut has emerged as a valuable model to study regeneration at the cellular level. Intestinal stem cells maintain tissue homeostasis and rapidly regenerate the epithelium following injury. Insights from mouse gut regeneration have informed understanding of stem cell niches, signaling pathways, and factors that influence tissue repair in mammals.

Studying regeneration across these models provides a comparative approach that highlights conserved mechanisms. By investigating these processes in model organisms, researchers can identify key regulators and translate these findings into human health applications. For example, understanding how zebrafish cardiomyocytes re-enter the cell cycle after injury could inform strategies for heart repair in humans. Similarly, gut regeneration in mice provides a framework for developing therapies for intestinal injury and inflammatory bowel disease.

By integrating findings from multiple models, researchers are uncovering principles that guide tissue repair and regeneration and developing approaches to enhance these processes in humans. Therefore, this topic will include but not limited to

• Investigating signaling pathways controlling tissue-specific regeneration in zebrafish and Xenopus

• Understanding gut interaction in mice

• Exploring morphogenetic mechanisms that link development and regenerative capacity

• Identifying genetic regulators of heart and neural tissue repair

• Developing chemical or genetic interventions to enhance regeneration

• Translating insights from model organisms into therapeutic strategies for human diseases

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Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Regeneration, Morphogenesis, Zebrafish, Xenopus, Mouse Gut

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.