title: Distribution of somatostatin-like immunoreactivity in the brain of the frog, Rana esculenta, during development.
abstract: The anatomical distribution of somatostatin-like immunoreactivity in the central nervous system of the frog, Rana esculenta, during development and in juvenile specimens was investigated by indirect immunofluorescence. Soon after hatching, at stages II-III, somatostatin-like immunoreactive structures were found in the preoptic-median eminence complex. In stage VI tadpoles, new groups of immunopositive perikarya and nerve fibers appeared in the diencephalon, within the ventral infundibular nucleus and in the ventral area of the thalamus, as well as in the medial pallium. In stages XII-XIV of development, immunopositive perikarya were also present in the dorsal infundibular nucleus of the hypothalamus and ventrolateral area of the thalamus. A small group of somatostatin-like immunoreactive neurons appeared in the posteroventral nucleus of the rhombencephalon. However, these neurons were not seen in later stages of development. Tadpoles in stages XVIII, XXI-XXII and in juveniles were characterized by a wider distribution of immunoreactive cell bodies and fibers in the pallium. New groups of immunoreactive neurons were found in the dorsal and lateral pallium. The presence of positive perikarya in the lateral pallium is a transient expression found only in these stages. The organization of the somatostatinergic system was most complex during the metamorphic climax, with the appearance of positive cell bodies in the posterocentralis area of the thalamus, and in juvenile animals with the presence of perikarya in the ventral part of the medial pallium and within the central grey rhombencephali. In contrast to the adult frog, somatostatin neurons were not observed in the mesencephalon of tadpoles and juveniles.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Anatomia Comparata, Università di Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vallarino
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mathieu
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: D'Aniello
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Rastogi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D007814:Larva / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D010455:Peptides / Q000032:analysis*; D011893:Rana esculenta; D013004:Somatostatin
chemical_list: D010455:Peptides; C029993:somatostatin-like peptides; D013004:Somatostatin