Plasticity in the Adult: How Should the Waddington Diagram Be Applied to Regenerating Tissues?

Abstract

Conrad Waddington's eponymous 1957 diagram provided a metaphorical framework for considering how sequential developmental fate decisions allow an egg to develop into an embryo. In recent years, the Waddington diagram has been repurposed to illustrate how cellular identity changes in the context of reprogramming. In this Perspective, we revisit the Waddington diagram in light of the emerging recognition that plasticity is part and parcel of adult regeneration. Specifically, we speculate that the "epigenetic landscapes" that define identity in adult tissues are dynamic, facilitating cellular de-differentiation and trans-differentiation in the setting of injury.