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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1986

Different types of pinealocytes as revealed by immunoelectron microscopy of anti-S-antigen and antiopsin binding sites in the pineal organ of toad, frog, hedgehog and bat.

S-antigen- and opsin-immunoreactive sites were studied in the pineal organ of toad (Bufo bufo), frog (Rana tigrina), hedgehog (Erinaceus roumanicus) and bat (Myotis myotis) by light microscopic avidin-biotin-peroxidase and electron microscopic immunoglobulin-gold (immunogold), protein A-gold and avidin-biotin-ferritin techniques. The corresponding retinas served as reference tissues. A large number of photoreceptors of toad and frog pineal organ exhibited either strong or weak S-antigen immunoreaction in the outer segments, perikarya and basal processes. A small number of photoreceptors was S-antigen-negative. In general, the intensity of the reaction was stronger in the immunoreactive outer segments of the pineal organ than in those of the rods and certain cones of the retina. In hedgehog and bat, the perikarya and processes of the pinealocytes were either strongly or weakly S-antigen-positive or they lacked immunogold labeling. By use of an antibovine rhodopsin antiserum either strong or weak opsin immunoreactivity was found in the pineal outer segments of toad and frog. A small number of pineal photoreceptors lacked opsin antigenic sites. Double labeling with both antibovine S-antigen and antibovine opsin antisera showed that the opsin immunoreaction was present in the outer segments which also exhibited S-antigen immunoreaction. In the pineal organ of hedgehog and bat, no opsin immunoreaction was observed with the antisera used. It is proposed that in the pineal organ at least two types of photoreceptors are present: one "rod-type" elaborating rhodopsin accompanied by S-antigen and one (or two) "cone-type(s)" using an unknown photopigment(s). Obviously, the different photoreceptors enable the animal to perceive the different wavelengths of the light spectrum.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Possible differences in pathogenicity between cane toad-, frog- and platypus-derived isolates of Mucor amphibiorum, and a platypus-derived isolate of Mucor circinelloides.

Platypuses (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) in the north of the island state of Tasmania, Australia, suffer from a serious disease called ulcerative mycosis, which is responsible for high morbidity and, presumably, mortality rates in areas where it occurs. The disease is caused by the dimorphic fungus Mucor amphibiorum, which is also found in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. However, it does not cause disease in platypuses in those states. It has been previously reported that a closely related fungus, Mucor circinelloides, may also be capable of causing this disease. This paper describes pathogenicity trials involving cane toads (Bufo marinus) as the experimental model. The toads were infected with either Tasmanian, platypus-derived M. amphibiorum, West Australian, frog-derived M. amphibiorum, Queensland cane-toad-derived M. amphibiorum or Tasmanian platypus-derived M. circinelloides. The Tasmanian isolates of M. amphibiorum were more likely to cause a serious, long-term infection than were Queensland or West Australian isolates, and (+) mating types caused a more serious infection than the (-) mating type. The isolate of M. circinelloides was incapable of infecting the toads, lending further weight to the theory that it represents an environmental contaminant. The results suggest that an endemic strain of M. amphibiorum has mutated and become pathogenic to platypuses. Alternatively, a pathogenic strain of M. amphibiorum may have been introduced into Tasmania, where it is infecting a naïve population.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Allozyme comparison of three Trypanosoma species (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae) of toads and frogs by starch-gel electrophoresis.

Six metabolic enzymes, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, glucosephosphate isomerase, isocitrate dehydrogenase, malate dehydrogenase, phosphoglucomutase, and purine nucleoside phosphorylase, from clonal isolates of 3 presumptive species of Trypanosoma (T. fallisi, T. ranarum, and T. rotatorium) from 3 anuran hosts (Bufo americanus, Rana clamitans, and Rana catesbeiana) were compared using starch-gel electrophoresis. Although bands were shared among the different zymodemes of isolates of the same host genus, low genetic polymorphism of the enzyme loci was observed with few apparent shared bands between samples isolated from frogs and toads. A distance value calculated between toad and frog trypanosome isolates suggests the likelihood of long-time separation of species. Cluster analysis based on overall similarity distinguished the trypanosomes of toads and frogs as separate taxa, suggesting that host specificity and observed morphological differences are consistent with heritable allozyme differences.

Alleles↗
PubMed1968

The distribution of the T-system along the sarcomeres of frog and toad sartorius muscles.

1. Frog and toad sartorius muscles were soaked in ferritin suspensions and then fixed and prepared for electron microscopy. Ferritin particles were counted in micrographs of regions where fibril striations were in good register, and the number of particles plotted according to position along the sarcomeres.2. The distribution of ferritin particles in both frog and toad muscle sarcomeres could be accounted for by a single peak centred at the Z-line, with a total width of about 0.4 mu.3. The peak in toad fibres was slightly broader than that in frog fibres, and this was due to more frequent branching of the T-system in the toad. In both frog and toad sartorius muscles branching increases the total quantity of T-system by around 30%.4. No peak was found in the ferritin distribution which could account for the peak of albumin distribution observed near the A-I boundary of toad sartorius muscles by Hill (1964).

Albumins↗
PubMed1982

Toad and frog rod photocurrents.

The size of Bufo marinus and rana pipiens rod photocurrents is similarly affected by changes in flash intensity. These species' rods also produce similar photocurrents during steady illumination, to which they both adapt. Thus, their transduction mechanisms are probably alike. Previous reports that frog and toad rod responses are different may have resulted from the use of an unusual procedure in which the rod outer segment was isolated from its inner segment.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

[Phylogenetic studies on some Japanese amphibia by mean of immunoelectrophoresis. I. Relationships of some frogs and newt to toad (author's transl)].

The phylogenetic relationship among toad, frogs and newt from Japan was investigated by means of immunoelectrophoresis. Homologous, heterologous and non-identity reactions between rabbit anti-Bufo bufo antiserum and antigen from each of 13 species and 2 subspecies of Japanese amphibia were examined. The number and positions of arcs appeared in these reactions were compared. The relationship observed in the comparison well coincided with the classification of the upper taxa of amphibia; viz 1) Hyla arborea is more intimately related to B. bufa, 2) members of Ranidae and Rhacophoridae have equal intimacy for B. bufo, and 3) Cynops pyrrhogaster is most distantly related to B. bufo. By contrasting arc obtained in non-identity reaction and those obtained in homologous reaction, it was found that toad, B. bufo carried 22 antigens, and among these antigens, one was observed through all amphibians tested, 12 were carried solely by toad, and some of the remainders were common to antigens carried by various frogs. Newts carried only one antigen common to toad. Based on these results, the phylogeny of Japanese amphibia was discussed.

Amphibians↗
PubMed1977

Diffusion of 133Xe through frog skins, toad bladders, and water boundary layers.

We have measured the total permeability coefficients P as a function of stirring frequency omega for 133Xe through frog skins and toad bladders. The permeability coefficients for the frog skins and toad bladders proper are, respectively, Pm = (3.9 +/- 0.8) X 10(-4) cm/s and (7.4 +/- 4.2) X 10(-4) cm/s. "Unstirred" water layer thickness delta is determined concurrently, from the frequency dependence of P(omega); the result for frog skin is delta = (0.060 +/- 0.016) square root of omega(rad/s) cm. The stirring frequency range is from omega = 7.5 rad/s (72 rpm) to 55 rad/s (530 rpm). The results support the conclusions that the principal barrier to Xe diffusion in these epithelia is inter- and intracellular water, and that the diffusion is passive and rapid. The experimental method may be straightforwardly adapted to the measurement of diffusion or counterdiffusion of any gamma-radioactive soluble or partly soluble solute through any flat membrane or through a solvent. We estimate the amount of total body-absorbed radioactivity due to environmental 133Xe to be 50 fCi for an ambient concentration of 2.6 pCi/m3 of air.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

A model of the visual localization of prey by frog and toad.

In this paper we demonstrate how prey localization can be achieved rapidly and accurately by coupling prey-selection and lens-accommodation processes within a feedback loop. Information derived from prey selection supplies a setpoint for accommodation. In turn, adjustment of the lens modifies the visual input and can alter the prey selection process. The natural feedback of this goal-seeking system automatically corrects for the problem of ambiguity in binocular matching. Although it is of general interest as a depth algorithm, we tie the model to the known anatomy, physiology and behavior of frogs and toads. Instead of building a global depth-map we propose that the goal of catching a prey leads a frog or toad to select a particular region of its visual world for special scrutiny. We suggest that the first step of the prey-catching sequence is to adjust the accommodative state of the lenses and thus lock the visual apparatus on to a stimulus. We identify brain regions that could provide the neural substrates necessary to support the model's various functional stages and present experiments, with a computer simulation, that compare its functioning to animal behavior.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Leptospires isolated from toads and frogs on the Island of Barbados.

Four pathogenic strains of leptospires were isolated from the kidneys of toads (Bufo marinus) and seven from frogs (Eleutherodactylus johnstonei). Isolates from two toads and one frog belonged to serovar bim, the causative agent of most cases of severe leptospirosis on Barbados. The other eight strains belonged to a new serovar within the Australis serogroup. The name bajan is proposed for this new serovar of Leptospira interrogans.

Agglutination Tests↗
PubMed1972

Energetics of activation in frog and toad muscle.

1. If activation heat reflects the operation of the calcium pump it should be independent of actomyosin activity. The semitendinosus preparation affords a technique for removing actomyosin activity since the muscle can be stretched till there is almost no overlap between the filaments.2. Heat production, H, in twitches and tetani of stretched muscle fits the relation H = A+M.P/P(ot) where P/P(ot) is the fraction of the optimal tension remaining at the stretched length and A and M are assumed to be the activation dependent and actomyosin dependent heat components.3. For twitches the A component is early and fast and constitutes 0.26 (S.D. 0.09) of the heat production at normal muscle lengths. Its time course is similar in both frog and toad muscle although both M and P are twofold slower in toad muscle. High concentrations of CO(2) slow only M and P(ot). The A component is associated with a normal recovery heat.4. The twitch-tetanus tension ratio, after correction for the extra shortening that occurs during a tetanus, does not vary with the degree of muscle stretch: it is thus probable that twitch activation does not vary with muscle stretch.5. Moderately hypertonic Ringer solution reduces M and P(ot) but not A, but strongly hypertonic solution also reduces A. Zn(2+), No(3) (-) and second shock potentiation of a twitch increase A, M and P(ot) in proportion to each other.

Action Potentials↗