Harderian Glands : Porphyrin Metabolism, Behavioral and Endocrine Effects

Harderian glands, first described by Jacob Harder in two species of deer in 1694, are large, intraorbital glands which, with but few exceptions, are found in all land vertebrates. Certainly, their relatively large size, their phylogenetic age, and persistent conservation in all groups as they emerged from an aqueous to an air/land environment lend strong support to the logical deduction that they probably play an important role in the physiological adaptation to terrestrial life. Yet, few biologists know even what or where these glands are. For a variety of reasons, the Harderian glands have not received the attention they deserve and, as a result, the published works available have been scarce and scattered throughout the world literature. The current situation is remarkably similar to that which existed in regard to the pineal gland prior to the mid-1960s, i. e. , scattered literature, unknown function, few investigators, and little interest. Yet, following a few key papers, interest in the pineal gland expanded and soon an explosive increase in the knowledge and understanding of the pineal gland took place and continues today. Will history repeat itself? Originally, a few of us discussed the desirability of an informal Symposium on the Harderian glands. Front Matter....Pages I-XIV The Past, Present, and Future of the Harderian Gland....Pages 1-6 Comparative Anatomy of Mammalian Harderian Glands....Pages 7-23 Harderian Glands and Their Development in Laboratory Rats and Mice....Pages 25-51 The Structure of the Harderian Gland of the Golden Hamster....Pages 53-67 The Mammalian Harderian Gland: Ultrastructure, Sexual Dimorphism, and Its Regulation by Light and Steroids....Pages 69-90 The Harderian Gland of Amphibians and Reptiles....Pages 91-108 Morphology of the Harderian Gland in the Rabbit. A Short Review....Pages 109-125 The Function of the Harderian Gland in the Mongolian Gerbil, Meriones unguiculatus ....Pages 127-140 Gonadal Hormones, Structure, and Porphyrin Synthesis in the Rodent Harderian Gland....Pages 141-154 The Harderian Gland in Birds: Histology and Immunology....Pages 155-163 Porphyrins and Their Possible Significance in Harderian Glands....Pages 165-193 Lipids in Harderian Glands and Their Significance....Pages 195-217 Harderian Gland Indoles....Pages 219-234 Harderian Gland Peptides....Pages 235-243 Adrenergic Activity in the Male Rat Harderian Gland....Pages 245-254 The Interrelationship Between the Harderian Glands and the Neuroendocrine-Thyroid Axis in Rodents....Pages 255-270 Type II 5′-Deiodinase in the Harderian Gland....Pages 271-277 The Pineal and the Harderian Glands: Evidence for Mutual Interactions....Pages 279-295 The Harderian Gland as a Target for Steroid Hormone Action: Role and Characteristics of Intracellular Receptors....Pages 297-316 Back Matter....Pages 317-325 The Harderian glands, located within the orbital cavities of amphibia, reptiles, birds and most mammals, are perhaps one of the last discrete tissues for which we connot yet define a normal physiological role or regulation. The book brings together all known information on the Harderian glands. It covers comparative anatomy at several levels, the concentra- tions and regulation of indole and catecholamines, porph- yrins, peptides and lipids, and the interactions of the Har- derian glands with the thyroid and pineal glands. One chap- ter is devoted to the avian Harderian glands and their role in the immune response, and another to the glands in amphi- bia and reptiles. Containing a master bibliographic compila- tion of all known literature on the Harderian glands the book represents a valuable reference source which offers new or established investigators a ready and convenient base of information