Switching on regeneration

The limited ability of mammals to repair damaged tissues and organs is well known, and possibilities to improve regeneration are highly desired. Sun et al. (1) (Cell Stem Cell, 2016) recently reported that deleting the Arid1a gene in mice greatly enhances the ability to regenerate the liver and ears after induced injury. Arid1a forms part of SWI/SNF chromatin-remodeling complexes, which normally support promoter access for transcription factors that promote differentiation and inhibit proliferation. The findings provide new insight in the control of terminal differentiation and suggest strategies to promote tissue repair.