Thesis (M.A.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine), one of the biologically active amines, has been found in rather large quantities in the dorsal skin of Rana pipiens. Quantitative determination of the endogenous levels of the amine in the whole dorsal skin homogenate extracts were made on a Farrand spectroflourometer, and ranges of 120-200 micrograms per gram of fresh tissue were established. Comparison of whole skin homogenates and homogenates of just the dorsal cutaneous ridges, or dermal plicae, indicated that the amine is localized in these ridges. Acid treatment of the denser more fibrous portions of the homogenate prior to extraction more then noublcc the yields of serotonin. This result showed that the amine is found primarily in the deeper portions of the skin, very likely in the poison glands which are concentrated in the dermal plicae. Skin homogenates were also studied to determine if serotonin is actually synthesized in the skin. A precursor of the amine, 5-hydroxytryptophan, decarboxylates in tne presence of 5-hydroxytryrtophan decarooxylase to produce the amine. 5-hydroxytryrtophan was incubated with the homogenate, under nitrogen, for two hours to determine enzymic activity. Under the conditions of the experiment, no enzymic activity could be shown, indicating that serotonin is not produced in the skin of the frog in detectable amounts. The fact that serotonin levels are so high, and the lack of enzymic activity indicates that once synthesized serotonin is stored in an inactive form or is synthesized elsewhere and transnorted to the skin. / 2031-01-01
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bu.edu/oai:open.bu.edu:2144/33428 |
| Date | January 1964 |
| Creators | Clay, George A. |
| Publisher | Boston University |
| Source Sets | Boston University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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