Metamorphosis

Metabolomics

Toxicant

Biology

Gene

Internal medicine

Larva

Genomics

Genetics

Medicine

Bioinformatics

Genome

Ecology

Toxicity

Proteomics

Physiology

Frontiers in Endocrinology

Aquatic and terrestrial environments are increasingly contaminated by anthropogenic sources releasing industrial and agricultural chemicals including pesticides, pharmaceuticals and personal care products. Many of these substances have the potential to disrupt endocrine function, yet thyroid hormone (TH) action has garnered relatively little attention. Anuran postembryonic metamorphosis is strictly dependent on TH and perturbation of this process can serve as a sensitive barometer for the detection and mechanistic elucidation of TH disrupting activities of chemical contaminants and their complex mixtures. The ecological threats posed by these contaminants are further exacerbated by changing environmental conditions such as temperature, photoperiod, pond drying, food restriction, and ultraviolet radiation. We review the current knowledge of several chemical and environmental factors that disrupt TH-dependent metamorphosis in amphibian tadpoles as assessed by morphological, thyroid histology, behavioral, and mo...

Contaminant and Environmental Influences on Thyroid Hormone Action in Amphibian Metamorphosis