Ultrastructural observations on effects of different concentrations of calcium and thyroxine in vitro on larval epidermal cells of Rana catesbeiana tadpoles

During anuran metamorphosis dramatic changes in morphogenesis and different iation of epidermis occur under the influence of thyroid hormones. Modifica tion of ionic calcium concentration also markedly alters the pattern of pro liferation and differentiation in amphibian epidermal cells in vitro. The p resent study was designed to determine the direct effect of low (0.05 mM) a nd high (0.5 mM) calcium (Ca2+) in the absence or presence of thyroxine (10 (-7) M) on epidermal cells of the body and tail tissue in vitro. When tail fin and body skin explants were maintained in low, (0.05 mM) calcium for 48 h, normal ultrastructural morphology and integrity of the cells was observ ed in both the tissue types. When tissues were exposed to high levels of ca lcium (0.5 mM) in culture medium, tail epidermis showed stratification, and skein cells exhibited apoptosis, both in the presence or absence of thyroi d hormones. Under high calcium conditions, the body epidermis showed kerati nization of apical cells, apoptosis of skein cells, and increased desmosome formation. These results suggest that (1) optimal Ca2+ concentration for l arval epidermal cells is quite low (0.05 mM), (2) high Ca2+ leads to kerati nization only in body epidermis, and (3) apoptosis occurred in skein cells of both the tissues at high Ca2+-concentrations (0.5 mM). The present study therefore suggests that the extracellular calcium concentration regulates the process of cell death and differentiation in Rana catesbeiana larval ep idermis, and this effect may he similar to the effect of calcium on mammali an epidermal cells.