Tissue regeneration after injury in adult zebrafish: the regenerative potential of the caudal fin.

The zebrafish has the potential to regenerate many of its tissues. In this study, we examined caudal fin regeneration in zebrafish that received repeated injuries (fin amputation) at different ages. In zebrafish that received repeated injuries, the potential for caudal fin regeneration, such as tissue growth and the expression of regeneration marker genes (msxb, fgf20a, bmp2b), did not decline in comparison to zebrafish that received only one amputation surgery. The process of initial fin regeneration (e.g., tissue outgrowth and the expression of regeneration marker genes at 7 days post-amputation) did not seem to correlate with age. However, slight differences in fin outgrowth were observed between young and old animals when examined in the late regeneration stages (e.g., 20 and 30 days post-amputation). Together, the data suggest that zebrafish has unlimited regenerative potential in the injured caudal fin.