Parathyroid hormone-related protein in tissues of the emerging frog (Rana temporaria): immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridisation

Using antiserum to human parathyroid hormone-related protein (1–16) [PTHrP(1–16)] we have examined tissues of the common frog (Rana temporaria) for the presence of immunoreactive PTHrP (irPTHrP) at the stage of emergence from water to land. irPTHrP was detected in dorsal and ventral stratum granulosum of the skin, in the developing ovary, striated muscle and the choroid plexus epithelium of the brain as well as in the olfactory gland epithelium and olfactory lobe neurons of the brain. In the pituitary and hypothalamus irPTHrP protein could be demonstrated in the median eminence, infundibular stem and principally in the neural lobe and pars distalis of the pituitary with weak reaction in the pars intermedia. In situ hybridisation of the same tissues with an oligonucleotide probe to chicken PTHrP 55–65 clearly showed the presence of mRNA for PTHrP-like molecule in all the tissues containing irPTHrP. There was a major inconsistency in the pituitary in that the highest level of gene expression, assessed by in situ hybridisation, was found in the pars intermedia with only very low expression in the pars distalis and neural lobe and undetectable levels in the infundibular stem and median eminence. These observations suggest that tissues of the frog synthesise a PTHrP-like molecule but that in the pituitary the pars intermedia cells may export the protein to cells in other regions of the pituitary and hypothalamus.