Ribosome biogenesis plays a crucial role in intestinal regeneration

Abstract

Regeneration is the replacement of damaged tissue or organs, restoring their functionality, to preserve an individual's health. Among metazoans, regenerative capacities slim as we move up the evolutionary tree. Animals such as sea cucumbers have the incredible ability to regenerate internal organs, such as the digestive tract after evisceration (the expulsion of viscera). However, a plethora of cellular and molecular events guiding gut regeneration are poorly understood. Many scientists compare regeneration to development and cancer because they share many molecular and cellular events.<br /> <br /> One example of such events is ribosome biogenesis, the production of macromolecular machines in charge of protein synthesis. Ribosome biogenesis has been associated with cancer and development as it controls cell growth, but little is known about its role in regeneration. Here, we present the role of ribosome biogenesis inhibition in the intestinal regeneration of sea cucumbers, looking at cell proliferation, dedifferentiation, and rudiment growth. Also, we describe participating pathways, networks, and genes using bioinformatic tools. We have identified a group of differentially expressed ribosomal genes at an early point in the regeneration process. Furthermore, two genes, RPL 11 and RPS 2, were localized in two different cell populations of the regenerating tissue. In mammals, both proteins have extra-ribosomal roles often associated with p53 regulation and cancer metastasis. Understanding how gut regeneration works may aid scientists in developing gene therapies to treat gastrointestinal diseases in animals with poor healing or regenerative capacities, such as humans.