title: Identification and localization of gastrointestinal hormones in the skin of the bullfrog Rana catesbeiana during periods of activity and hibernation.
abstract: Amphibian skin and its secretions contain a wide variety of biogenic amines and biologically active peptides, some of which are either identical or highly homologous to gastrointestinal hormones (GHs) of higher vertebrates. This study investigated the distribution density and immunoreactive (IR) intensity of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), gastrin (GAS), somatostatin (SS), pancreatic polypeptide (PP), neuropeptide Y (NPY) and glucagon (GLU) IR cells in the skin of the bullfrog Rana catesbeiana during periods of activity and hibernation. The results indicated that the six types of GHs were all present in the bullfrog skin and were most predominant in the epidermis and mucous glands. In dorsal skin, the density of the GHs-IR cells in mucous glands was higher than that in epidermis except for GAS-IR cells. In ventral skin, the density of 5-HT, PP and NPY-IR cells in mucous glands was also higher than that in the epidermis. During hibernation, the density of the six types of GHs-IR cells and the IR intensity of GAS, SS, NPY and GLU-IR cells in the epidermis of dorsal skin increased significantly. The IR intensity of SS, PP and NPY-IR cells in granular glands of ventral skin also increased significantly during hibernation. These results suggested that multiple types of GHs-IR cells present in the skin of R. catesbeiana, may play important roles in the regulation of the physiological functions of skin. Also, adaptive changes in the density and IR intensity of GHs-IR cells occurred during hibernation.
authors.affiliation: Anhui Key Laboratory of Biotic Environment and Ecological Safety, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, 1 Beijing East Road, Wuhu 241000, Anhui, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Huan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Anhui Key Laboratory of Biotic Environment and Ecological Safety, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, 1 Beijing East Road, Wuhu 241000, Anhui, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Naizhen
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Anhui Key Laboratory of Biotic Environment and Ecological Safety, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, 1 Beijing East Road, Wuhu 241000, Anhui, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Anhui Key Laboratory of Biotic Environment and Ecological Safety, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, 1 Beijing East Road, Wuhu 241000, Anhui, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yuanyuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Anhui Key Laboratory of Biotic Environment and Ecological Safety, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, 1 Beijing East Road, Wuhu 241000, Anhui, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Ruidong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Anhui Key Laboratory of Biotic Environment and Ecological Safety, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, 1 Beijing East Road, Wuhu 241000, Anhui, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: szzhang@mail.ahnu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Shengzhou
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005768:Gastrointestinal Hormones / Q000378:metabolism*; D006605:Hibernation / Q000502:physiology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D011892:Rana catesbeiana / Q000378:metabolism*; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D005768:Gastrointestinal Hormones
keywords: Amphibia; Gastrointestinal hormones; Hibernation; Immunohistochemistry; Rana catesbeiana; Skin