Neural regulation of hatching in amphibians

Acetylcholine signaling in red-eyed treefrog Agalychnis callidryas embryos is a key mediator of hatching, triggering hatching-gland enzyme release for egg rupture.

• Why it matters: Embryos often hatch in response to threats or opportunities, but the neural pathway linking cue sensing to hatching enzyme activation was unclear.
• What they did: The team screened Agalychnis callidryas eggs in the field with small molecules, then used behavioral pharmacology, microscopy, and transcriptional profiling to map cholinergic input to hatching gland cells and serotonergic hypoxia transduction.
• The result: Independent hypoxia-sensing and mechanosensory predation-detection pathways converge on an acetylcholine-dependent hatching decision, and cholinergic control of enzyme release is conserved in a distantly related frog and salamander.

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