Upregulation of cathepsin D expression in the dedifferentiating salamander limb regenerates and enhancement of its expression by retinoic acid.

In the regenerating urodele limb, catheptic activity has been known to be present in the stump tissue undergoing histolysis, and it has been implicated in the modification of some intracellular and extracellular matrix molecules. In this study, we compared spatial and temporal gene expression profiles of cathepsin D in normal, retinoic acid-treated, or denervated larval limb regenerates of Hynobius leechii and compared cathepsin D activities between normal and retinoic acid-treated limb regenerates. The results showed that the expression of cathepsin D increased markedly in the vicinity of an amputation site under the wound epidermis at dedifferentiation stage, whereas the expression level of cathepsin D was low in the denervated limb. With retinoic acid treatment, the expression of cathepsin D was elevated in terms of both level and duration. In addition, the profile of cathepsin D activity coincided well with the expression profile of cathepsin D in normal and retinoic acid-treated limb regenerates. These results suggest that the increase of cathepsin D activity during the dedifferentiation period is due to the upregulation of cathepsin D transcription, and nerve factors are involved in this process. Furthermore, retinoic acid appears to upregulate cathepsin D expression, which might be linked to the enhanced dedifferentiation in the retinoic acid-treated limb regenerates.