[Quantitative analysis of intestinal changes and the evolution of DNA synthesis in thyroxine-treated larvae ofAlytes...

Changes in the intestinal wall ofAlytes obstetricans (Amphibia, Anura) were quantified during thyroxine treatment. The relative proportion of each intestinal wall component was determined in tissue sections. Autoradiographic studies on intestine with³H-thymidine revealed the distribution and frequency of labeled nuclei.The labeling index in the primary epithelium falls to zero by 3 days. Thyroxine treatment induces a decrease in the growth rate of this tissue, just before its degeneration and complete elimination by 14 days.Three days after T₄-treatment, a secondary epithelium develops from basal stem cells. Its labeling index rises to a maximum of about 50% by 9 days, and thereafter declines. Cell proliferation is less marked in the extraepithelial zone, which nevertheless thickens during this thyroxine-induced metamorphosis.