PubMed · 10706622
Thyroid hormone-dependent metamorphosis in a direct developing frog.
Abstract
The direct developing anuran, Eleutherodactylus coqui, lacks a tadpole, hatching as a tiny frog. We investigated the role of the metamorphic trigger, thyroid hormone (TH), in this unusual ontogeny. Expression patterns of the thyroid hormone receptors, TRalpha and TRbeta, were similar to those of indirect developers. TRbeta mRNA levels increased dramatically around the time of thyroid maturation, when remodeling events reminiscent of metamorphosis occur. Treatment with the goitrogen methimazole inhibited this remodeling, which was reinitiated on cotreatment with TH. Despite their radically altered ontogeny, direct developers still undergo a TH-dependent metamorphosis, which occurs before hatching. We propose a new model for the evolution of anuran direct development.
Explore related subjects
Keep this discovery
Explore connections, maps & timelines
E M Callery, R P Elinson. 2000-03-14. Thyroid hormone-dependent metamorphosis in a direct developing frog.. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.050501097
Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.