A quantitative study of the peripheral nerve supply in the tadpole tail

✍ Scribed by Simpson, S. B. ;Skirnyk, Jarema

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1974
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 628 KB
• Volume: 188
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0022-104X
• DOI: 10.1002/jez.1401880310

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

The anuran tadpole tail is capable of regenerating in the absence of the spinal cord. This is in contrast to urodeles and lizards that require the spinal cord for normal tail regeneration. Quantitation of peripheral nerves in the Rana clamitans tadpole tail reveals an average of 6.9 nerve fibers per unit area of soft tissue. This value falls short of the threshold nerve requirement established for regeneration of the Triturus limb. However, when nerve fiber size is taken into consideration, we find that the axoplasm area per unit area of soft tissue exceeds the threshold requirement for limb regeneration in Triturus. When judged against this standard, regeneration of the tadpole tail in the absence of the spinal cord can be explained on the basis of a sufficient neurotrophic contribution made by the peripheral nerves alone.