A peculiar rodent called the spiny mouse seems to be able to regenerate kidney tissue, according to research published today (November 3) in iScience. After damaging their kidneys to simulate kidney disease, the scientists found that the spiny mice not only regenerated the structure and function of nephrons, the tiny filters that make up the kidney, but they did so without the dangerous scarring that normally occurs in mammals.
Spiny mice, a collection of several species in the genus Acomys, are famous for their stiff coats of hair that resemble a hedgehog’s quills. The critters were already important to scientists studying regeneration, as they have an unusual defense mechanism in which they shed their skin to escape predators. A 2012 study in Nature revealed that spiny mice regenerate all of the tissue they give up, including vasculature and hair follicles, without any scarring, a process that subsequent research found may ...
