19-P040 Molecular analysis of spinal cord regeneration in Axolotl

sue is known as transdifferentiation, in which the local cells are able to dedifferentiate (lose the characteristics of their origin) and subsequently redifferentiate. Our lab has shown by transient lineage tracing that spinal cord cells (radial glial cells) can migrate into surrounding tissues and contribute to non-neural cells during regeneration [Science 298 (2002) 1993–1996]. In order to follow cell lineages in long-term regeneration conditions, we have developed a transgenic axolotl in which we can target specific cell types and change their fluorescence by Cre mediated recombination. This way we can study specific cell types for long-term lineage tracing during regeneration.