Spot the difference: Solving the puzzle of hidden pictures in the lizard genome for identification of regeneration factors

All living things share some common life processes, such as growth and reproduction, and have the ability to respond to their environment. However, each type of organism has its own specialized way of managing biological events. Genetic sequences determine phenotypic and physiological traits. Based on genetic information, comparative genomics has been used to delineate the differences and similarities between various genomes, and significant progress has been made in understanding regenerative biology by comparing the genomes of a variety of lower animal models of regeneration, such as planaria, zebra fish, and newts. However, the genome of lizards has been relatively ignored until recently, even though lizards have been studied as an excellent amniote model of tissue regeneration. Very recently, whole genome sequences of lizards have been uncovered, and several attempts have been made to find regeneration factors based on genetic information. In this article, recent advances in comparative analysis of the lizard genome are introduced, and their biological implications and putative applications for regenerative medicine and stem cell biology are discussed. [BMB Reports 2016; 49(5): 249-254]