Leg Regeneration in Insects: Cell Interactions and Lineage

SYNOPSIS. Developing insect legs have positional information specified down the length and around the leg circumference. After grafting or amputation of larval cockroach or cricket legs healing confronts epidermal cells with different positional values. This stimulates growth, the intercalary regeneration of intervening tissue, the regeneration of all more distal tissue from a complete leg circumference and often the formation of an incomplete distal regenerate from a symmetrical part-circumference. These processes will lead to regeneration of missing structures, duplication of structures, or the formation of branched supernumerary legs, depending on the situation. During regeneration, cells cannot cross lineage restrictions which divide the leg into anterior and posterior compartments.