A conserved pituitary response to tissue loss controls regeneration across vertebrates

Limb or fin loss triggers sustained, injury-responsive transcriptional programs in the axolotl pituitary that link to prolactin- and growth hormone-responsive limb cells during regeneration.

• Why it matters: Regeneration needs both local repair signals and systemic coordination, but the endocrine regulator that couples tissue loss to regrowth across vertebrates is unclear.
• What they did: The authors used axolotl and tilapia injury models with pituitary perturbation, single-cell transcriptomics, and hormone treatments, including prolactin receptor disruption and combined hormone rescue in hypophysectomized animals.
• The result: Pituitary removal impaired regeneration in tilapia and prolactin receptor disruption reduced digit formation in axolotls, while combined hormone treatment partially restored regrowth; mouse timing and signaling differed, implying evolutionarily divergent pituitary control.

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