Date of Award

8-1976

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Biology

Abstract

The effects of porcine follicle stimulating hormone, 17B-estradiol, and a combination of the two on the process of vitellogenesis were studied in Anolis carolinensis maintained at 15C with no light for one week, and then at 15C or 32C with 14 hours of light for two additional weeks.

At both temperatures, the control animals subjected to 14 hours of light possessed greater numbers of previtel­logenic follicles and lower liver weights than the control animals sacrificed after one week in the dark. Animals maintained at the higher temperature and given different hormonal treatments showed significant increases in ovary and oviduct weights, the number of vitellogenic follicles, the diameters of the largest previtellogenic and vitello­genic follicles, and the percentage of vitelloprotein.

Previous research has suggested that low temperatures inhibit vitellogenesis by inactivating ovarian enzymes in­ volved in estrogen svnthesis . The results of the present research suggest that the estrogen may be synthesized, but that it is unable to stimulate oviduct growth at 15C. The low temperature also inhibits the synthesis of vitelloprotein by the liver. It was also shown that the presence of folli­ cle stimulating hormone increases the uptake of vitellopro­tein by the ovarian follicles.

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Biology Commons

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