Positional identity of adult stem cells during limb regeneration

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The ability to regenerate the adult limb is present in salamanders like the newt, and it has now become a long term goal for regenerative medicine in humans. Regeneration in a newt always gives rise just to the structures that were removed by amputation. Amputation at the wrist gives a hand, while amputation at the shoulder gives an entire arm. Regeneration proceeds from special stem cells which arise at the end of the stump. If we understood the difference between wrist level and shoulder level cells in a salamander, we would be in a much stronger position to engineer appropriate regeneration in man. The aim of our research is to understand what this difference is, and how it works in a salamander to control how much of the limb is regenerated.