Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are required for wound closure and healing during larval leg regeneration in the flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum

Regenerative abilities are found ubiquitously among many metazoan taxa. To compare mechanisms underlying the initial stages of limb regeneration between insects and vertebrates, the roles of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling were investigated in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum. RNA interference-mediated knockdown of MMP2 expression delayed wound healing and subsequent leg regeneration. Additionally, pairwise knockdown of MMP1/2 and MMP2/3, but not MMP1/3, resulted in inhibition of wound closure. Wound healing on the dorsal epidermis after injury was also delayed when MMPs were silenced. Our findings show that functionally redundant MMPs play key roles during limb regeneration and wound healing in Tribolium. This MMP-mediated wound healing is necessary for the subsequent formation of a blastema. In contrast, silencing of FGF receptor did not interfere with the initial stages of leg regeneration despite the alterations in tanning of the cuticle. Thus, insects and vertebrates appear to employ similar developmental processes for the initial stages of wound closure during limb regeneration, while the role of FGF in limb regeneration appears to be unique to vertebrates.

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► Disruption of MMP expression delays wound closure after leg ablation.
► Delay in wound healing delays blastema formation and subsequent leg regeneration.
► MMPs regulate wound healing in Tribolium.
► Tribolium is a useful model for studying wound healing.
► FGF regulates cuticular patterning but not leg regeneration.