title: Change of body height is regulated by thyroid hormone during metamorphosis in flatfishes and zebrafish.
abstract: Flatfishes with more body height after metamorphosis should be better adapted to a benthic lifestyle. In this study, we quantified the changes in body height during metamorphosis in two flatfish species, Paralichthys olivaceus and Platichthys stellatus. The specific pattern of cell proliferation along the dorsal and ventral edge of the body to allow fast growth along the dorsal/ventral axis might be related to the change of body height. Thyroid hormone (T4 and T3) and its receptors showed distribution or gene expression patterns similar to those seen for the cell proliferation. 2-Mercapto-1-methylimidazole, an inhibitor of endogenous thyroid hormone synthesis, inhibited cell proliferation and decreased body height, suggesting that the change in body shape was dependent on the local concentration of thyroid hormone to induce cell proliferation. In addition, after treatment with 2-mercapto-1-methylimidazole, zebrafish larvae were also shown to develop a slimmer body shape. These findings enrich our knowledge of the role of thyroid hormone during flatfish metamorphosis, and the role of thyroid hormone during the change of body height during post-hatching development should help us to understand better the biology of metamorphosis in fishes.
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Shanghai Ocean University, Ministry of Education, Shanghai 201306, China.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Shanghai Ocean University, Ministry of Education, Shanghai 201306, China.
authors.forename: Zhonghe
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ke
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Science & Technology Museum, Shanghai 200127, China.
authors.forename: Jianhong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Shanghai Ocean University, Ministry of Education, Shanghai 201306, China.
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Shanghai Ocean University, Ministry of Education, Shanghai 201306, China. Electronic address: blbao@shou.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Baolong
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001827:Body Height; D005412:Flatfishes; D006801:Humans; D008675:Metamorphosis, Biological / Q000235:genetics*; D011988:Receptors, Thyroid Hormone / Q000378:metabolism*; D013963:Thyroid Hormones / Q000378:metabolism*; D015027:Zebrafish
chemical_list: D011988:Receptors, Thyroid Hormone; D013963:Thyroid Hormones
keywords: Body height; Cell proliferation; Metamorphosis; Thyroid hormone; Thyroid hormone receptor