Effects of Insulin-like Growth Factors (IGF1 and IGF2) on brown anole lizard tail regeneration


SOCIETY FOR INTEGRATIVE AND COMPARATIVE BIOLOGY
2021 VIRTUAL ANNUAL MEETING (VAM)
January 3 – Febuary 28, 2021

Meeting Abstract


P11-8  Sat Jan 2  Effects of Insulin-like Growth Factors (IGF1 and IGF2) on brown anole lizard tail regeneration Lindsey, AG*; Beatty, AE; Schwartz, TS; Auburn University agl0032@auburn.edu

Some reptiles, such as the brown anole lizard (Anolis sagrei), possess the ability to autotomize, via breakpoints in the vertebrae, and regenerate their tails. While tail regeneration is common among lizards, the molecular mechanisms of tail regeneration remain understudied. One molecular network involved in the regulation of regeneration is the insulin and insulin-like signaling (IIS) network, which have previously been shown to regulate physiological processes such as reproduction, aging, growth, and wound healing across clades. Although the IIS network has been shown through transcriptomic analyses to be associated with wound healing and regeneration in reptiles, the potential regulation of regeneration by the IIS network remains ill-defined. To explore this relationship, we focus on two hormone regulators of the IIS network: IGF1 and IGF2. To test whether increasing levels of IGF1 or IGF2 will increase the rate of tail regeneration, adult female brown anoles (N=80) were randomized into four groups: Ad lib diet (8 crickets weekly), limited diet (4 crickets weekly), limited diet and IGF1 injection, and limited diet and IGF2 injection. Following three weeks of diet acclimation, tail autotomy was induced for all lizards and IGF injections were administered subcutaneously. Regenerated tail length, weight, and reproductive output were tracked weekly for eight weeks. We predict that if IGF1 or IGF2 play a role in the regulation of tail regeneration, then IGF injections will increase the rate of tail regeneration in the IGF1 and IGF2 groups. Final results and the prospect of the IIS network as a molecular influence of regeneration will be discussed.

the Society for
Integrative &
Comparative
Biology