Production of an Oxytocin like Substance by the Subcommissural Organ (SCO), Related to the Reproductive Cycle in Oviparous and Viviparous Reptiles

The subcommissural organ (SCO) is a circumventricular organ of glial origin typical of all vertebrates. The SCO releases its secretion into the third ventricle to constitute Reissner’s fibre (RF). Reportedly, in reptiles, SCO has cyclic secretory activity related to the reproductive cycle. In this i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Journal of neuroendocrinology Vol. 9; no. 9; pp. 655 - 662
Main Authors:	D'Uva, Ermelinda Limatola, Di Montefiano, Rosita
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Oxford, UK Blackwell Science Ltd 01-09-1997
Subjects:	Animals Female Immunohistochemistry Lizards - physiology Neurophysins - metabolism Reproduction - physiology Reptiles - physiology Subcommissural Organ - metabolism Subcommissural Organ - physiology Subcommissural Organ - secretion
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Summary:	The subcommissural organ (SCO) is a circumventricular organ of glial origin typical of all vertebrates. The SCO releases its secretion into the third ventricle to constitute Reissner’s fibre (RF). Reportedly, in reptiles, SCO has cyclic secretory activity related to the reproductive cycle. In this immunocytochemical study we show that, in females of oviparous reptiles (Lacertidae: Podarcis sicula) and in a viviparous species (Scincidae: Chalcides chalcides), SCO secretion consists of hormones, in part of the oxytocin‐like (OXY‐like) type. The amount of OXY‐like material in the cells and in the third ventricle varies according to the different stages of the reproductive cycle. In the oviparous species, OXY‐like hormone secretion can be induced by FSH administration at 28 °C, in the period of winter reproductive stasis as well. In the viviparous skink, showing an annual single ovulatory cycle, OXY‐like secretion is present in the basal region of the cells, and is released into the third ventricle only at delivery. The role of an OXY‐like hormone in the SCO is here discussed in relation to the different stages of the reproductive cycle. Its influence on the hypothalamus‐hypophysis‐gonad axis and its role in the transport of eggs into the ducts in the oviparous species, and at delivery in the viviparous one, are also suggested.
Bibliography:	ArticleID:JNE609 istex:E43422ED57DF3BB7362BD7E494DEC1768C1AFCF5 ark:/67375/WNG-037XRFRT-5 ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	0953-8194 1365-2826
DOI:	10.1046/j.1365-2826.1997.00609.x