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Updated: Oct 4, 2026

An Ex vivo Culture System to Study Thyroid Development
Published on: June 6, 2014
Presence of thyroid hormones in ascidian larvae and their involvement in metamorphosis
E Patricolo1, M Cammarata, P D'Agati
1Department of Animal Biology, University of Palermo, 90123 Palermo, Italy.
Abstract:
In this study we investigated the presence and localization of thyroxine in Ciona intestinalis larvae and its involvement in metamorphosis. To date, the mechanisms regulating the metamorphosis of ascidians remain largely unknown. In vivo treatment of swimming larvae with exogenous L-thyroxine and thiourea, and in vitro experiments utilizing high performance liquid chromatography, radioimmunoassay, and immunoperoxidase staining demonstrate the presence of thyroxine at the larval stage. This suggests that this hormone may participate in the control of metamorphosis and thus play a different role from that observed in adults.
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