Studies of Limb Regeneration in Larval Xenopus

Abstract

A basic protocol is given for animal maintenance and surgery in studies of hindlimb regeneration in larval Xenopus laevis. Unlike urodele limbs, those of larval frogs typically show much more variation in the extent of regeneration after amputation. Such variation can be reduced by optimizing the conditions of larval maintenance to regulate the rates of growth and development, by selecting only larvae with normal rates of growth and morphological development for experimental use, and by attention to precision and consistency in the proximo–distal level of surgical amputation.