In an age when advanced molecular and genetic tools allow studies in various systems, amphibian metamorphosis still offers perhaps the most accessible model for the study of postembryonic organogenesis and mechanisms of hormonal regulation during vertebrate development. Amphibian Metamorphosis: From Morphology to Molecular Biology integrates findings from the most recent research with earlier observations, providing molecular and mechanistic insights into the signal transduction pathways underlying tissue-specific transformations during metamorphosis. The author, renowned expert of anuran metamorphosis and Head of the Unit of Molecular Morphogenesis at NICHD/NIH, begins with an overview of metamorphosis in different classes of amphibians and various factors that influence this process. A review of earlier morphological, cellular, and biochemical changes focuses on organs and tissues that have been studied extensively at the molecular level, while discussion of the thyroid hormone signal transduction pathway emphasizes transcriptional regulation mechanisms by thyroid receptors. The book provides a summary and comparison of gene regulation programs induced by thyroid hormone in several organs that undergo distinct metamorphic transformations. Several chapters are devoted to functional and mechanistic implications of the molecular findings on the thyroid hormone response genes in tissue transformation. Special features of this book include: * An emphasis on integrating the morphological approach with molecularand cell biology * A historical perspective on the progression from discovery of the thyroid hormone to present-day research advances * Comparisons of amphibian and insect metamorphosis * Dozens of instructive photographs, several in full color Amphibian Metamorphosis: From Morphology to Molecular Biology is a unique and invaluable resource for professionals and aspiring professionals in develop-mental biology, molecular biology, cell biology, evolutionary biology, and endocrinology.

This Test Guideline describes an amphibian metamorphosis assay intended to screen substances which may interfere with the normal functioning of the hypothalamo-pituitary-thyroid axis. The assay was validated with the species Xenopus laevis, which is ...

Metamorphosis addresses various facets of postembryonic development, particularly signal transduction, morphogenesis, cell-cell interactions, and programmed cell death. A key feature of the book is its exploration of the molecular mechanisms underlying these processes. Hormonal regulation of development The mechanisms of hormone action The steroid/thyroid hormone receptor family Morphogenesis and programmed cell death

This book came about as a result of a review I had written earlier on fea tures of cellular changes occurring during anuran metamorphosis. Only a limited treatment of this subject was possible in such a circumscribed work and only specific examples of organic change were dealt with. Thus the sins of omission weighed heavily, for so much information could not be included to provide a more comprehensive and authenticated account of the elaborate, complex, and far-reaching changes that an aquatic larva undergoes to become a terrestrial froglet. A good deal of my working life has been spent investigating amphib ians, especially their larval developmental morphology during metamor phosis, first at the level of light microscopy and in later years by electronmicroscopy. Initially I was particularly concerned with morpho logical homologies of a variety of larval structures, such as the cranial and pharyngeal skeleton and the nerves and musculature, in order to learn more about amphibian phylogeny, for during my pre-and early postgrad uate years G. R. Beer and D. M. S. Watson inspired an undying interest in and respect for vertebrate comparative anatomy. However, it now seems to be that amphibian phylogenetic relationships are best dealt with by the paleontologists, so ably demonstrated by D. M. S. Watson and A. S. Romer and the contemporary enthusiasts in this field like A. L. Panchen, R. L. Carroll, E. Jarvik, and K. S. Thompson among a host of others, particularly in the USA.

This new volume of Current Topics in Developmental Biology covers recent progresses in our understanding of animal metamorphosis. Over a dozen of leading experts reviews studies ranging from morphological, molecular to genetic analyses of metamorphosis in a broad spectrum of animals, including insects, fish. Topics include molecular evolution in metamorphosis, the synthesis and function of hormones in regulating metamorphic timing and rate, regulation and function of nuclear hormone receptors, neuroendocrine control of metamorphosis, tissue specific metamorphic events such as autophagy and stem cell development, and applications of genome-wide analysis technologies for studying metamorphosis. First comprehensive review of the metamorphosis in diverse animal species by leading experts in the field Covers a broad range of subjects: from morphological changes, molecular and genetic studies, to cutting-edge technologies for metamorphic studies; from systematic changes to tissue specific events, such as autophagy and stem cell development, which are areas of enormous interest in contemporary biomedical research Serves as a reference book for undergraduate and graduate students in fields across biology and biomedicine