Increased expression of both short and long forms of prolactin receptor mRNA in hypothalamic nuclei of lactating rats

Xj, Pi; Grattan, David R.

doi:10.1677/jme.0.0230013

Cited by 77 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 45 publications

(50 reference statements)

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“…In addition to changes in the long form of the PRL-R, in our previous studies we reported significant increases in short-form PRL-R mRNA expression in the paraventricular and ventromedial hypothalamic nuclei of lactating rats compared with dioestrous rats (Pi & Grattan 1999b). This was based on finding detectable levels of mRNA in lactating rats compared with almost undetectable levels during dioestrus.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 67%

“…The discrepancy between our previous studies and the present results may be explained by the different experimental procedures employed. The previous studies used conventional RT-PCR, which measured PCR product at the end of a set number of cycles of amplification, with high numbers of cycles required to produce a detectable signal (Pi & Grattan 1998b, 1999b. End-point measurements can vary in the amount of cDNA detected between duplicates of the same sample.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Further studies have detected the presence of prolactin-binding sites in the rat brain using in vitro autoradiography (Muccioli et al 1991, Crumeyrolle-Arias et al 1993, Mustafa et al 1994, 1995, and identified PRL-R expression by immunohistochemistry (Roky et al 1996, Pi & Grattan 1998a, 1999a. Similarly, mRNA for PRL-R has been detected in the brain using both RT-PCR (Chiu et al 1992, Sugiyama et al 1994, Pi & Grattan 1998b, 1999b and in situ hybridization (Chiu & Wise 1994, Bakowska & Morrell 1997, Mann & Bridges 2002. Prolactin has been implicated in the regulation of a variety of brain functions, including the suppression of adrenocorticotrophin secretion during the stress response (Torner et al 2001), an increase in feeding and appetite (Sauve & Woodside 1996, 2000, and the suppression of fertility (Cohen-Becker et al 1986), as well as the well-characterized short-loop negative feedback regulation of its own secretion by stimulating tuberoinfundibular dopamine (TIDA) neuronal activity (Freeman et al 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The two forms have identical extracellular portions, but vary in the length of their intracellular domains. Using RT-PCR, an increase in mRNA for both isoforms of the PRL-R has been detected in the choroid plexus and in restricted regions of the hypothalamus in lactating rats compared with non-pregnant rats (Pi & Grattan 1999b,c, Mann & Bridges 2002. The aim of this study was to investigate the time-course for changes in receptor expression during pregnancy and lactation by quantifying the relative levels of mRNA for the two isoforms of the receptor in specific brain regions using real-time PCR (Bustin 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Quantitation of prolactin receptor mRNA in the maternal rat brain during pregnancy and lactation

Augustine¹,

Kokay²,

Andrews³

et al. 2003

Journal of Molecular Endocrinology

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Prolactin receptor (PRL-R) expression in the brain is increased in lactating rats compared with non-pregnant animals. The aim of the present study was to determine the time-course of changes in PRL-R mRNA levels during pregnancy and/or lactation, and to determine relative levels of the two forms (short and/or long form) of receptor mRNA in specific brain regions. Brains were collected from female rats on dioestrus, days 7, 14 or 21 of pregnancy, day 7 of lactation or day 7 post-weaning. Frozen, coronal sections were cut (300 µm) and specific hypothalamic nuclei and the choroid plexus were microdissected using a punch technique. Total RNA was extracted and reverse transcribed, then first strand cDNA was amplified using quantitative real-time PCR. Results showed an up-regulation of long-form PRL-R mRNA in the choroid plexus by day 7 of pregnancy compared with dioestrus, which further increased on days 14 and 21 of pregnancy and day 7 of lactation, and then decreased to dioestrous levels on day 7 post-weaning. Short-form PRL-R mRNA levels increased on day 14 of pregnancy relative to dioestrus, increased further on day 7 of lactation and decreased on day 7 post-weaning. Changes in mRNA were reflected in increased levels of PRL-R immunoreactivity in the choroid plexus during pregnancy and lactation, compared with dioestrus. In the arcuate nucleus, long-form PRL-R mRNA was increased during pregnancy. In contrast to earlier work, no significant changes in short-or long-form PRL-R mRNA expression were detected in several other hypothalamic nuclei, suggesting that changes in hypothalamic mRNA levels may not be as marked as previously thought. The up-regulation of PRL-R mRNA and protein expression in the choroid plexus during pregnancy and lactation suggest a possible mechanism whereby increasing levels of peripheral prolactin during pregnancy may have access to the central nervous system. Together with expression of long-form PRL-R mRNA in specific hypothalamic nuclei, these results support a role for prolactin in regulating neuroendocrine and behavioural adaptations in the maternal brain.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 67%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Quantitation of prolactin receptor mRNA in the maternal rat brain during pregnancy and lactation

Augustine¹,

Kokay²,

Andrews³

et al. 2003

Journal of Molecular Endocrinology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In addition, it has been reported that PRL enhances its own uptake in the choroid plexus (Mangurian et al 1992). Supporting this function, a high level of PRLR expression in the choroid plexus has been observed during lactation when the plasma PRL level is also high (Muccioli & Di Carlo 1994, Escalada et al 1996, Sugiyama et al 1996, Pi & Grattan 1999, Augustine et al 2003, Pi et al 2003, Nogami et al 2007, Anderson et al 2008. Also, PRLR expression in this brain region increases during the stress response, accompanying an increase in the plasma PRL level (Fujikawa et al 1995).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Characterization of multiple first exons in murine prolactin receptor gene and the effect of prolactin on their expression in the choroid plexus

Tabata

Kobayashi²,

Ikeda³

et al. 2012

Journal of Molecular Endocrinology

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Prolactin (Prl) receptor (Prlr) gene is expressed in various brain regions, with the highest level present in the choroid plexus, a site for receptor-mediated PRL transport from the blood to cerebrospinal fluid. We investigated the regulatory mechanism of Prlr gene expression by PRL in the murine choroid plexus. We first examined the organization of the alternative first exons in murine Prlr gene. In addition to the three known first exons, mE1 1 , mE1 2 , and mE1 3 , two first exons, mE1 4 and mE1 5 , were newly identified by cDNA cloning. Each first exon variant of Prlr mRNA exhibited tissuespecific or generic expression. In the choroid plexus of mice, the expression levels of mE1 3 -, mE1 4 -, and mE1 5 -Prlr mRNAs were increased in the lactating mice compared with those in the diestrus mice. Furthermore, the expression level of mE1 4 -Prlr mRNA was decreased in the PRL-deficient (Prl K/K ) mice compared with the PRL-normal (Prl C/C and Prl C/K ) mice. In the ovariectomized Prl K/K mice, the expression level of mE1 4 -Prlr mRNA was significantly increased by PRL administration but not by 17b-estradiol administration. The expression levels of the two last exon variants of Prlr mRNAs, encoding the long and short cytoplasmic regions of PRLR, were also increased in the lactating mice and decreased in the Prl K/K mice. These findings suggest that PRL stimulates the Prlr gene expression through the transcriptional activation of mE1 4 first exon, leading to increases in the long-and short-form variants of Prlr mRNA in the murine choroid plexus.

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Prolactin, fatherhood, and reproductive behavior in human males

Gettler

McDade

Feranil

et al. 2012

American J Phys Anthropol

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Although humans are considered unusual among mammals for the intensity of care that fathers often provide offspring, little is known about the hormonal architecture regulating human paternal investment. Prolactin has important reproductive functions in both female and male mammals and other taxa, making it a candidate regulator of human paternal behavior. Notably, prolactin is higher during periods of offspring care in some species, but it is unknown if this pattern occurs in human fathers. We draw on a sample of men (n = 289; age 21-23 at baseline) from Metropolitan Cebu City, Philippines to evaluate relationships between prolactin, assayed from dried blood spots, and components of reproductive behavior and relationship status. In this sample, fathers had higher prolactin than nonfathers (P = 0.006), and fathers of infants had borderline higher prolactin than fathers of older children (P = 0.054). Among single nonfathers at baseline (2005), baseline prolactin did not predict who transitioned to fatherhood by follow-up 4.5 years later. Among nonfathers, men with greater prolactin reported more lifetime sexual partners (P = 0.050) as well as more sexual activity in the month before sampling (P = 0.060). Our results suggest that fathers in Cebu have higher prolactin than nonfathers, with hormone levels highest among fathers of young infants. Although these findings are generally consistent with evidence from other species for pronurturing effects of prolactin, evidence for positive relationships between the hormone and measures of sexual behavior at Cebu point to likely complexities in the hormone's involvement in male reproductive strategy.

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Increased expression of both short and long forms of prolactin receptor mRNA in hypothalamic nuclei of lactating rats

Cited by 77 publications

References 45 publications

Quantitation of prolactin receptor mRNA in the maternal rat brain during pregnancy and lactation

Quantitation of prolactin receptor mRNA in the maternal rat brain during pregnancy and lactation

Characterization of multiple first exons in murine prolactin receptor gene and the effect of prolactin on their expression in the choroid plexus

Prolactin, fatherhood, and reproductive behavior in human males

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