Title:

ATR Inhibition Blocks Newt Lens Regeneration

The Iberian ribbed newt (Pleurodeles waltl) is a remarkable model for regenerative studies. These animals can regenerate limbs, portions of their organs, and the entire eye lens. In addition, they demonstrate resistance to cancer despite the rapid cell proliferation required to regrow these structures. This suggests an uncharacterized, high-fidelity DNA repair mechanism. This work seeks to identify protein targets that are essential in the DNA damage repair pathway in newts. This was done via pharmacological inhibition of select protein targets, and eye lens regeneration was used to visualize success. It was hypothesized that inhibiting a key protein would block the DNA repair pathway, preventing rapid proliferation and therefore lens regeneration. Of the twenty-two compounds tested, ATR inhibitor Elimusertib completely blocked lens regeneration, suggesting ATR is essential in the DNA damage repair pathway. This work has provided insight into potential targets for further research and is the first step in securing cancer resistance for humans.

Name

Comment*

Comments are viewable only by submitter

Captcha*