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We already know that the skin plays a pivotal role in triggering amphibian limb regrowth. The new results suggest the same is true of our ability to regrow fingertips (Nature, DOI: 10.1038/nature12214).

This article appeared in print under the headline “Regeneration is at our fingertips”

Like amphibians, humans can regenerate skin and bone, but unfortunately our powers of regeneration are limited to the ends of our fingers. It’s a trick we share with mice, so to find out how we do it, Mayumi Ito at New York University and her colleagues took a closer look at mouse digits.

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“We at least partly retain the mechanisms that operate limb regeneration in amphibians,” says Ito. “Knowing more about how nail epidermal cells induce digit-tip regeneration may provide direct clues to extend our ability for regeneration.”