Inhibition of regeneration of the gonopodium of the guppy by treatment with thiouracil

✍ Scribed by Hopper, Arthur F.

• Book ID: 102891636
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1965
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 625 KB
• Volume: 159
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0022-104X
• DOI: 10.1002/jez.1401590208

✦ Synopsis

It has been shown previously that the gonopodium of Lebistes develops and regenerates under the influence of testicular hormone. Since it has also been demonstrated that hypothyroidism inhibits gonopodial differentiation in the young fish, the relation between the hypothyroid state and gonopodial regeneration deserves investigation.

Adult male guppies kept in 0.03% thiouracil fail to regenerate normal gonopodia and the longer the exposure, the greater the inhibition. However, thiouracil has no effect on the regeneration of the female anal fin. Thiouracil treatment results in thyroid follicular hyperplasia and vacuolization of and fat deposit in the liver. However, it is postulated that inhibition of anal fin regeneration in the male following thiouracil treatment is not the result of disturbance in protein or fat metabolism, but is due to a hormonal imbalance.