在自然界中，某些动物天生就具有让人惊叹的再生能力，如蝾螈，如果断了一条腿，不久以后便能长出一条新腿。斑马鱼也能够在鳍断开的位置重新长出新的鳍。
相比之下，人类却只有最基本的再生能力。因此，科学家希望能通过对这些动物的研究，最终找到修复或再生受损组织的方法。
在一项发表于PNAS杂志的研究报告中，密西根大学的研究人员利用模式生物斑马鱼发现，斑马鱼的不同组织的再生过程中，某些基因是相同的，如斑马鱼鳍的再生和心脏修复过程中的基因，在眼睛的光受体的再生中也发挥作用。这表明，不论身体的哪部分受损，其再生机制可能由一种共同的分子机制控制。
研究人员将斑马鱼置于强光下短暂处理，破坏斑马鱼眼睛中的光受体。这类似于人眼被太阳光灼伤，如果损伤较严重，往往会致人失明。但斑马鱼却能很快长出新的神经元修复损伤。
那么这些新形成的神经元是从什么分化而来呢？研究人员猜测可能来自于视网膜的一种Müller glia细胞，这种猜测随后在另一名研究人员的实验中得到证实。
在这项新的研究中，研究人员Zhao Qin想找出促使Müller glia细胞再生原因。Qin仔细研究了斑马鱼受损并再生的视网膜中Müller glia细胞基因表达的模式，并以未受损的斑马鱼为对照。她发现两组斑马鱼比较，一共有953个基因的表达模式发生变化，其中有两个基因hspd1和mps1尤其值得关注，这两个基因也参与到斑马鱼鳍的再生和心脏的再生。
生物谷推荐原始出处：
PNAS May 27, 2009, doi: 10.1073/pnas.0811186106
Genetic evidence for shared mechanisms of epimorphic regeneration in zebrafish
Zhao Qin, Linda K. Barthel and Pamela A. Raymond,1
1 Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, 830 North University, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1048
In a microarray-based gene profiling analysis of Müller glia-derived retinal stem cells in light-damaged retinas from adult zebrafish, we found that 2 genes required for regeneration of fin and heart tissues in zebrafish, hspd1 (heat shock 60-kDa protein 1) and mps1 (monopolar spindle 1), were up-regulated. Expression of both genes in the neurogenic Müller glia and progenitors was independently verified by quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR and in situ hybridization. Functional analysis of temperature-sensitive mutants of hspd1 and mps1 revealed that both are necessary for Müller glia-based cone photoreceptor regeneration in adult zebrafish retina. In the amputated fin, hspd1 is required for the induction of mesenchymal stem cells and blastema formation, whereas mps1 is required at a later step for rapid cell proliferation and outgrowth. This temporal sequence of hspd1 and mps1 function is conserved in the regenerating retina. Comparison of gene expression profiles from regenerating zebrafish retina, caudal fin, and heart muscle revealed additional candidate genes potentially implicated in injury-induced epimorphic regeneration in diverse zebrafish tissues.
