Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “SALAMANDERS”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,135 records · Page 63Linked to original sources

The time course of male meiosis in the red-backed salamander, Plethodon cinereus.

Tritiated-thymidine autoradiography was used to follow the progress of cells through meiosis in male P. cinereus at 20 degrees C. Spermatocytes spend 7 days in leptotene, 5 days in zygotene and 3 days in pachytene before entering the diffuse stage. Diffuse lasts for 8 days and is followed by a diplotene of 2 days. First and second meiotic metaphase occur a total of 26 days after the end of premeiotic S. Considering the information for P. cinereus together with that for 3 other species, it appears that in amphibians the duration of meiosis does not show the linear relation with C-value that has been described for other groups of organisms.

Animals↗

Ion exchange mechanisms on the erythrocyte membrane of the aquatic salamander, Amphiuma tridactylum.

The effects of different pharmacological agents and incubation media on the intracellular pH and water content of Amphiuma erythrocytes were investigated in vitro. Adrenaline had no significant effect on the intracellular pH or cell water content. DIDS caused an intracellular alkalinization that could be abolished by amiloride, ouabain or removal of sodium from the incubation medium. In addition, amiloride and DIDS both caused a decrease in cell water content. The data indicate that sodium/proton and chloride/bicarbonate exchangers are present on the membrane of Amphiuma erythrocytes and these exchangers are active under steady-state conditions.

4,4'-Diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-Disulfonic Acid↗

Thyroid hormone receptor expression in the obligatory paedomorphic salamander Necturus maculosus.

Amphibian metamorphosis is under the strict control of thyroid hormones (TH). These hormones induce metamorphosis by controlling gene expression through binding to thyroid hormone receptors (TRs). Necturus maculosus is considered to be an obligatory paedomorphic Amphibian since metamorphosis never occurs spontaneously and cannot be induced by pharmacological means. Since metamorphosis depends on the acquisition of response of tadpole tissues to thyroid hormone, we aimed to determine TR gene expression patterns in Necturus maculosus as well as the expression of two TH-related genes: Cytosolic Thyroid Hormone-Binding Protein (CTHBP)-M2-pyruvate kinase, a gene encoding a cytosolic TH binding protein and stromelysin 3, a direct TH target gene in Xenopus laevis. Tissue samples were obtained from specimens of Necturus maculosus. We performed in situ hybridization using non-cross-hybridizing RNA probes obtained from the cloned Necturus TRalpha and TRbeta genes. We found clear expression of Necturus TRalpha gene in several tissues including the central nervous system, epithelial cells of digestive and urinary organs, as well as myocardium and skeletal muscle. TRbeta was also expressed in the brain. In other tissues, hybridization signals were too low to draw reliable conclusions about their precise distribution. In addition, we observed that the expression of CTHBP and ST3 is largely distinct from that of TRs. The fact that we observed a clear expression of TRalpha and TRbeta which are evolutionary conserved, suggests that Necturus tissues express TRs. Our results thus indicate that, in contrast to previously held hypotheses, Necturus tissues are TH responsive.

Animals↗

Heterochrony and neotenic salamanders: possible clues for understanding the animal development and evolution.

A synthesis of developmental genetics with evolutionary genetics is now making possible to understand significant evolutionary changes in multicellular organisms. The key concept for unifying the two must be heterochrony. Heterochrony causes evolutionary modifications due to changes in timing and/or rate of development. The heterochrony is conventionally categorized into three patterns as neoteny (retardation in somatic development), progenesis (acceleration in gonadal development), and direct development (acceleration in somatic development, resulting in lack of larval or tadpole stages). A lot of species showing neoteny are known in urodeles, but not in anurans. Neotenic urodeles are also divided into three categories; permanent or obligate, "inducible" obligate and facultative neotenies. Hynobius retardatus, a specific population of which had been reported to show neoteny but is believed to be extinct at present, has become to be used for experimental analysis of heterochronic expression of several adult characters during its ontogeny. Gonadal maturation and a transition of globin subunits from larval to adult types have been shown to occur independently on the morphological metamorphosis in H. retardatus. Mechanisms underlying the heterochrony, including morphogenetic clock, heterochronic genes in Drosophila and C. elegans, temporal colinearity in Hox gene complex in mice, and atavistic transformation induced by altered expression of Hox genes are discussed in terms of current molecular biology.

Animals↗

Morphological discrimination of two genetic groups of a Japanese salamander, Hynobius naevius (Amphibia, Caudata).

Hynobius naevius, distributed on western Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu Islands of Japan, includes two genetically distinct groups (Groups A and B) that have never been delimited morphologically. Using specimens from the entire species range, we investigated the possibility of distinguishing these groups morphologically. Multivariate analyses of morphometric characters resulted in recognition of two groups that corresponded well to the two genetic groups. One (Group A) was characterized by larger body, compressed tail, shallower vomerine tooth series, bluish- or reddish-purple ground color, and pale-white lateral markings. In contrast, another (Group B) was characterized by smaller body, cylindrical tail, longer vomerine tooth series, reddish-brown ground color, and white lateral markings. Group A was composed of populations from the Chugoku District of Honshu and northern Kyushu, and could not be divided into subgroups, while Group B encompassed populations from the Chubu and Kinki Districts of Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu, and was subdivided into three local subgroups that are geographically separated by marine straits. Morphometric differentiation in Group A is presumed to have been less affected by genetic factors than by other factors, such as ecological relationships with other, coexisting species. Differentiation in Group B is assumed to have been enhanced not only by genetic but also by climatological factors.

Animals↗

Effects of space environment on embryonic growth up to hatching of salamander eggs fertilized and developed during orbital flights.

In vertebrates, only few experiments have been performed in microgravity to study the embryonic development from fertilization. To date, these concern only amphibian and fish. We report here a study on the embryonic development of Pleurodeles waltl (urodele amphibian) eggs oviposited in microgravity. The experiment was performed twice on board the Mir space station and the data obtained included video recording and morphological, histological and immunocytological analyses. The data confirm that the microgravity conditions have effects during the embryonic period, particularly during cleavage and neurulation, inducing irregular segmentation and abnormal closure of the neural tube. Moreover, we observed several abnormalities hither to undescribed corresponding to cortical cytoplasm movements, a decrease of cell adhesion and a loss of cells. These abnormalities were temporary and subsequently reversible. The young larvae that hatched during the flight displayed normal morphology and swimming behavior after landing. The results obtained in the urodele Pleurodeles waltl are in accordance with those observed earlier in the anuran Xenopus laevis and in the fish Oryzias latipes.

Animals↗

Ocular development and involution in the European cave salamander, Proteus anguinus laurenti.

The anatomy and development of the eye of Proteus anguinus are described. The relationships between organogenesis of the eye in embryos and larva and its involution in the young and the adult are discussed. The availability (in breeding cultures) of a significant number of Proteus embryos (which are normally rare) allowed experimental analysis of the effects of light, xenoplastic differentiation and thyroid hormones on the development of the eye. The results of this study suggest that development and involution of the eye of Proteus are controlled by genetic factors which are not greatly influenced by environment, and one can, therefore, consider the microphthalmy of Proteus as a relict characteristic which is the result of a specific development with disturbance of the normal ontogenic process.

Age Factors↗