Abstract
The role of extrathyroidal hormones in amphibian growth and metamorphosis is as yet unclear. The involvement of prolactin in these processes has been suggested. In the present study a possible competition between thyroxine and prolactin in metamorphosis was analyzed by administration to tadpoles of a highly purified rabbit prolactin antiserum. The antiserum exhibited no cross-reactivity with ovine or bovine tissue, mammalian plasma proteins, or other mammalian pituitary hormones, as determined by the Ouchterlony double-diffusion precipitin test. Hind limb growth, tail resorption, and transformation of body form were the criteria employed in the analysis of induced metamorphosis. Control tadpoles treated with normal rabbit serum (NRS) or with prolactin antiserum (PR A S ) remained unchanged throughout the experiments. T 4 injected into tadpoles 1 day after the prolactin antiserum accelerated metamorphosis as compared to T 4 alone. We conclude that there is normally present in tadpoles a prolactin-like hormone which exerts an inhibitory effect on the peripheral action of T 4.
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