Development of Δ5-3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity in the interrenal gland of Rana catesbeiana

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Abstract

A quantitative, histochemical analysis of the development of Δ5-3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity in the interrenal gland of Rana catesbeiana from larval stages to young frogs was investigated. The quantitation of enzyme activity was evaluated by scanning reaction products in the histochemically prepared tissue with a computerized microscope spectrophotometer. The results indicate that Δ5-3β-HSD activity during the course of development exhibits a tendency to follow the progress of metamorphic events. The activity begins to appear weakly in cortical cells of the embryo at Shumway stage 23 and then increases with the differentiation of the interrenal in the larva. Development of enzyme activity is slow during premetamorphic and prometamorphic stages, after which the activity increases rapidly to reach a peak at the end of metamorphosis. However, the interrenals of young frogs show a sharp decline in enzyme activity. This developmental pattern of Δ5-3β-HSD activity is discussed from the viewpoint of its relations to thyroxine and ACTH.

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