Morphology of the Cutaneous Poison and Mucous Glands in Amphibians with Particular Emphasis on Caecilians (Siphonops annulatus)

Autor(es)

Mauricio, Beatriz ^[1] ; Mailho-Fontana, Pedro Luiz ^[1] ; Sato, Luciana Almeida ^[1] ; Barbosa, Flavia Ferreira ^[2] ; Astray, Renato Mancini ^[2] ; Kupfer, Alexander ^[3] ; Brodie Jr, Edmund D. ; Jared, Carlos ^[1] ; Antoniazzi, Marta Maria ^[1]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Inst Butantan, Lab Struct Biol, BR-05509000 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Inst Butantan, Multipurpose Lab, BR-05503000 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[3] State Museum Nat Hist, Dept Zool, D-70191 Stuttgart - Germany

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: TOXINS; v. 13, n. 11 NOV 2021.
• Citações Web of Science: 0

Resumo

Caecilians (order Gymnophiona) are apodan, snake-like amphibians, usually with fossorial habits, constituting one of the most unknown groups of terrestrial vertebrates. As in orders Anura (frogs, tree frogs and toads) and Caudata (salamanders and newts), the caecilian skin is rich in mucous glands, responsible for body lubrication, and poison glands, producing varied toxins used in defence against predators and microorganisms. Whereas in anurans and caudatans skin gland morphology has been well studied, caecilian poison glands remain poorly elucidated. Here we characterised the skin gland morphology of the caecilian Siphonops annulatus, emphasising the poison glands in comparison to those of anurans and salamanders. We showed that S. annulatus glands are similar to those of salamanders, consisting of several syncytial compartments full of granules composed of protein material but showing some differentiated apical compartments containing mucus. An unusual structure resembling a mucous gland is frequently observed in lateral/apical position, apparently connected to the main duct. We conclude that the morphology of skin poison glands in caecilians is more similar to salamander glands when compared to anuran glands that show a much-simplified structure. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 17/10488-1 - O cuidado parental e a dermatofagia na cobra-cega Siphonops annulatus: uma abordagem integrativa
• Beneficiário: Pedro Luiz Mailho Fontana
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Pós-Doutorado
• Processo FAPESP: 18/03265-9 - Desvendando o cuidado parental nas cecílias: implicações nutricionais e toxinológicas em Siphonops annulatus
• Beneficiário: Carlos Alberto Gonçalves Silva Jared
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular