THYROID HORMONE AND CORTICOSTEROID SIGNALING IN AMPHIBIAN METAMORPHOSIS: MOLECULAR MECHANISMS AND EVOLUTIONARY CONSERVATION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63330/aurumpub.071-001Keywords:
Comparative endocrinology, Developmental plasticity, Nuclear receptors, Post-embryonic development, XenopusAbstract
Post-embryonic development in vertebrates relies on the integration of two central neuroendocrine axes: the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis, responsible for producing thyroid hormones, and the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal/interrenal (HPA/HPI) axis, responsible for producing corticosteroids. In anuran amphibians, metamorphosis represents the best-characterized example of this hormonal integration, enabling the transition from an aquatic larva to an adult organism with a predominantly terrestrial lifestyle. Based on the synthesis by Paul et al. (2022), this chapter reviews the molecular mechanisms by which triiodothyronine (T3) and corticosteroids (corticosterone and aldosterone) act both independently and synergistically on larval tissues, emphasizing the functioning of the nuclear receptors TRα, TRβ, GR, and MR. It also discusses the evolutionary conservation of these mechanisms across other vertebrate post-embryonic transitions—such as larval metamorphosis and smoltification in teleosts, hatching in sauropsids, and birth in mammals—positioning amphibian metamorphosis as a model for understanding developmental plasticity in the face of environmental changes.
Downloads
References
BONETT, R. M.; HOOPFER, E. D.; DENVER, R. J. Molecular mechanisms of corticosteroid synergy with thyroid hormone during tadpole metamorphosis. General and Comparative Endocrinology, v. 168, n. 2, p. 209-219, 2010. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygcen.2010.03.014. Acesso em: 29 set. 2026.
BUISINE, N.; GRIMALDI, A.; JONCHERE, V.; RIGOLET, M.; BLUGEON, C.; HAMROUN, J.; SACHS, L. M. Transcriptome and Methylome Analysis Reveal Complex Cross-Talks between Thyroid Hormone and Glucocorticoid Signaling at Xenopus Metamorphosis. Cells, v. 10, n. 9, p. 2375, 2021. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.3390/cells10092375. Acesso em: 29 set. 2026.
DENVER, R. J. Stress hormones mediate developmental plasticity in vertebrates with complex life cycles. Neurobiology of Stress, v. 14, p. 100301, 2021. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ynstr.2021.100301. Acesso em: 29 set. 2026.
FRIEDEN, E.; NAILE, B. Biochemistry of amphibian metamorphosis: I. Enhancement of induced metamorphosis by glucocorticoids. Science, v. 121, n. 3132, p. 37-39, 1955. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.121.3132.37. Acesso em: 29 set. 2026.
GROSS, J.; PITT-RIVERS, R. 3:5:3'-Triiodothyronine. 1. Isolation from thyroid gland and synthesis. Biochemical Journal, v. 53, n. 4, p. 645-652, 1953. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1042/bj0530645. Acesso em: 29 set. 2026.
GUDERNATSCH, J. F. Feeding experiments on tadpoles. I. The influence of specific organs given as food on growth and differentiation: a contribution to the knowledge of organs with internal secretion. Archiv für Entwicklungsmechanik der Organismen, v. 35, p. 457-483, 1912. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02277051. Acesso em: 29 set. 2026.
KENDALL, E. C. The isolation in crystalline form of the compound containing iodin, which occurs in the thyroid: its chemical nature and physiologic activity. Journal of the American Medical Association, v. 64, n. 25, p. 2042-2043, 1915. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.1915.02570510018005. Acesso em: 29 set. 2026.
KULKARNI, S. S.; BUCHHOLZ, D. R. Corticosteroid signaling in frog metamorphosis. General and Comparative Endocrinology, v. 203, p. 225-231, 2014. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygcen.2014.03.036. Acesso em: 29 set. 2026.
PAUL, B.; STERNER, Z. R.; BUCHHOLZ, D. R.; SHI, Y.-B.; SACHS, L. M. Thyroid and Corticosteroid Signaling in Amphibian Metamorphosis. Cells, v. 11, n. 10, p. 1595, 2022. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.3390/cells11101595. Acesso em: 29 set. 2026.
ROUSSEAU, K.; DUFOUR, S.; SACHS, L. M. Interdependence of Thyroid and Corticosteroid Signaling in Vertebrate Developmental Transitions. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, v. 9, p. 735487, 2021. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2021.735487. Acesso em: 29 set. 2026.
WEN, L.; SHIBATA, Y.; SU, D.; FU, L.; LUU, N.; SHI, Y.-B. Thyroid hormone receptor α controls developmental timing and regulates the rate and coordination of tissue specific metamorphosis in Xenopus tropicalis. Endocrinology, v. 158, n. 6, p. 1985-1998, 2017. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1210/en.2016-1953. Acesso em: 29 set. 2026.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
