Research
Limb regeneration
The limb is a complex structure that consists of numerous tissue types such as epidermis, bones, muscles, fibroblasts, nerves, vasculature and immune cells. Upon limb amputation all these cell types coordinate with each other and carry out an extraordinary feat of restoring exactly the lost portion. How do the cells even know where the amputation was made? How do they know when to stop regenerating? How do they form an exact replica with all the proper skeletal elements? These are just some of the questions that keep the Murawala Lab busy.
Tail regeneration
The axolotl is one of few organisms that can regenerate its primary body axis, including the spinal cord. During embryonic development, an array of myotomes and vertebrae is formed through a segmentation process called somitogenesis. Upon tail amputation axolotls also recreate new segments, each containing new muscles and vertebrae. However, these segments originate from a mature tissue and in the absence of somites. Using state of the art technologies, the Murawala Lab is addressing questions such as: what is the cellular source of the tail blastema and what are the underlying molecular mechanisms of tail regeneration.
Tissue metamorphosis
Axolotls are full of wonder. Although they spend most of their life in neoteny, in the lab they are capable of metamorphosis. A single exposure to L-thyroxine transforms axolotl body – they retract their gills and start breathing with their lungs. During metamorphosis they shed their skin and the emerging skin is more compatible with the terrestrial habitat. They lose their fin and their tail rounds up. Interestingly, they can still display tissue regeneration ability, although there is a small decline in the rate and fidelity. The Murawala Lab wants to understand cellular and molecular basis for metamorphosis and its implication on tissue regeneration.
News Articles
- 2022 MDI Biological Laboratory Publications Blog · January 13, 2023
- Extraordinary Tech Opens New Frontiers in Biology Blog · December 16, 2022
- Giving Tuesday at MDIBL Blog · November 16, 2022
- Microscopy Momentum at MDIBL Blog · Fall 2022
- MDI Biological Laboratory Researchers Win R21 Grants From the National Institutes of Health Press Release · April 1, 2022
- Meet Our Postdocs: Marko Pende, Ph.D. Blog · April 1, 2022
Publications
- Murawala P, Oliveira CR, Okulski H, Yun MH, Tanaka EM. Baculovirus Production and Infection in Axolotls. Methods Mol Biol. 2023;2562:369-387. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2659-7_24.
- Nowoshilow S, Fei JF, Voss SR, Tanaka EM, Murawala P. Gene and transgenics nomenclature for the laboratory axolotl-Ambystoma mexicanum. Dev Dyn. 2022 Jun;251(6):913-921. doi: 10.1002/dvdy.351.
- Tilley L, Papadopoulos SC, Pende M, Fei JF, Murawala P. The use of transgenics in the laboratory axolotl. Dev Dyn. 2022 Jun;251(6):942-956. doi: 10.1002/dvdy.357.
- Glaser AK, Bishop KW, Barner LA, Susaki EA, Kubota SI, Gao G, Serafin RB, Balaram P, Turschak E, Nicovich PR, Lai H, Lucas LAG, Yi Y, Nichols EK, Huang H, Reder NP, Wilson JJ, Sivakumar R, Shamskhou E, Stoltzfus CR, Wei X, Hempton AK, Pende M, Murawala P, Dodt HU, Imaizumi T, Shendure J, Beliveau BJ, Gerner MY, Xin L, Zhao H, True LD, Reid RC, Chandrashekar J, Ueda HR, Svoboda K, Liu JTC. A hybrid open-top light-sheet microscope for versatile multi-scale imaging of cleared tissues. Nat Methods. 2022 May;19(5):613-619. doi: 10.1038/s41592-022-01468-5.
- Lin TY, Taniguchi-Sugiura Y, Murawala P, Hermann S, Tanaka EM. Inducible and tissue-specific cell labeling in Cre-ERT2 transgenic Xenopus lines. Dev Growth Differ. 2022 May 17. doi: 10.1111/dgd.12791.