Among tetrapods, only salamanders can regenerate their limbs and tails throughout life. This amazing regenerative ability has attracted the attention of scientists for hundreds of years. Now that large, salamander genomes are beginning to be sequenced for the first time, omics tools and approaches can be used to integrate new perspectives into the study of tissue regeneration. Here we argue the need to move beyond the primary salamander models to investigate regeneration in other species. Salamanders at first glance come across as a phylogenetically conservative group that has not diverged greatly from their ancestors. While salamanders do present ancestral characteristics of basal tetrapods, including the ability to regenerate limbs, data from fossils and data from studies that have tested for species differences suggest there may be considerable variation in how salamanders develop and regenerate their limbs. We review the case for expanded studies of salamander tissue regeneration and identify questions and approaches that are most likely to reveal commonalities and differences in regeneration among species. We also address challenges that confront such an initiative, some of which are regulatory and not scientific. The time is right to gain evolutionary perspective about mechanisms of tissue regeneration from comparative studies of salamander species.

中文翻译：

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对蝾螈肢体再生的比较分析

在四足动物中，只有蝾螈可以终生再生四肢和尾巴。这种惊人的再生能力数百年来一直吸引着科学家们的注意。既然大型蝾螈基因组首次开始被测序，组学工具和方法可用于将新观点整合到组织再生研究中。在这里，我们认为需要超越主要蝾螈模型来研究其他物种的再生。蝾螈乍一看是一个系统发育保守的群体，与它们的祖先没有太大的分歧。虽然蝾螈确实具有基础四足动物的祖先特征，包括再生四肢的能力，化石数据和测试物种差异的研究数据表明，蝾螈如何发育和再生四肢可能存在相当大的差异。我们回顾了蝾螈组织再生扩展研究的案例，并确定了最有可能揭示物种再生共性和差异的问题和方法。我们还解决了此类倡议面临的挑战，其中一些挑战是监管而不是科学的。从蝾螈物种的比较研究中获得关于组织再生机制的进化观点的时机已经成熟。我们回顾了蝾螈组织再生扩展研究的案例，并确定了最有可能揭示物种再生共性和差异的问题和方法。我们还解决了此类倡议面临的挑战，其中一些挑战是监管而不是科学的。从蝾螈物种的比较研究中获得关于组织再生机制的进化观点的时机已经成熟。我们回顾了蝾螈组织再生扩展研究的案例，并确定了最有可能揭示物种再生共性和差异的问题和方法。我们还解决了此类倡议面临的挑战，其中一些挑战是监管而不是科学的。从蝾螈物种的比较研究中获得关于组织再生机制的进化观点的时机已经成熟。