Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Biology Department, Amphibian Evolution Lab, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium.
J Exp Biol. 2013 Nov 15;216(Pt 22):4139-43. doi: 10.1242/jeb.086363. Epub 2013 Aug 15.
Males of many frog species develop spiny nuptial pads with underlying glands on their thumbs during the mating period. We used 3D visualization on the European common frog Rana temporaria to show that the morphology of these glands allows the channelling of secreted molecules to the pad's surface during amplexus. Combined transcriptome and proteome analyses show that proteins of the Ly-6/uPAR family, here termed amplexins, are highly expressed in the nuptial glands during the mating season, but are totally absent outside that period. The function of amplexins remains unknown, but it is interesting to note that they share structural similarities with plethodontid modulating factors, proteins that influence courtship duration in salamanders.
许多蛙类的雄性在交配期会在拇指上形成带有下伏腺体的多刺婚垫。我们使用欧洲普通蛙（Rana temporaria）的 3D 可视化技术表明，这些腺体的形态允许在交配上将分泌的分子引导到垫的表面。联合转录组和蛋白质组分析表明，Ly-6/uPAR 家族的蛋白质（在这里称为抱对蛋白）在交配季节在婚垫中高度表达，但在该时期之外完全不存在。抱对蛋白的功能仍然未知，但有趣的是，它们与 plethodontid 调节因子具有结构相似性，plethodontid 调节因子是影响蝾螈求偶持续时间的蛋白质。
