Thyroid and Corticosteroid Signaling in Amphibian Metamorphosis

Bidisha Paul; Zachary R Sterner; Daniel R Buchholz; Yun-Bo Shi; Laurent M Sachs

doi:10.3390/cells11101595

Thyroid and Corticosteroid Signaling in Amphibian Metamorphosis

Cells. 2022 May 10;11(10):1595. doi: 10.3390/cells11101595.

Authors

Bidisha Paul¹, Zachary R Sterner¹, Daniel R Buchholz¹, Yun-Bo Shi², Laurent M Sachs³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA.
² Section on Molecular Morphogenesis, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.
³ UMR 7221 Molecular Physiology and Adaption, CNRS, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 57 Rue Cuvier, CEDEX 05, 75231 Paris, France.

Abstract

In multicellular organisms, development is based in part on the integration of communication systems. Two neuroendocrine axes, the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal/interrenal axes, are central players in orchestrating body morphogenesis. In all vertebrates, the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis controls thyroid hormone production and release, whereas the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal/interrenal axis regulates the production and release of corticosteroids. One of the most salient effects of thyroid hormones and corticosteroids in post-embryonic developmental processes is their critical role in metamorphosis in anuran amphibians. Metamorphosis involves modifications to the morphological and biochemical characteristics of all larval tissues to enable the transition from one life stage to the next life stage that coincides with an ecological niche switch. This transition in amphibians is an example of a widespread phenomenon among vertebrates, where thyroid hormones and corticosteroids coordinate a post-embryonic developmental transition. The review addresses the functions and interactions of thyroid hormone and corticosteroid signaling in amphibian development (metamorphosis) as well as the developmental roles of these two pathways in vertebrate evolution.

Keywords: corticosteroids; development; hormonal crosstalk; metamorphosis; thyroid hormones.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adrenal Cortex Hormones
Amphibians
Animals
Metamorphosis, Biological* / physiology
Thyroid Gland* / metabolism
Thyroid Hormones / metabolism
Vertebrates / metabolism

Substances

Adrenal Cortex Hormones
Thyroid Hormones

Grants and funding

L.M.S.’s work was supported by “ERGO”, a European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, under grant agreement n° 825753. L.M.S. is supported by the “Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique” and the “Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle”. Grant NSF IOS 2035732 supported the work by D.R.B. and Y.B.S. was supported by the Intramural Research Program of NICHD, National Institutes of Health, USA.