6 Flashcards
Which hormone is structurally similar to prolactin? What are the differences?
GH
peptide hormones, similar to GH
few differences- number of AAs- 198 a.a. (vs 191 in GH)
Apart from strucutre, how does GH differ from PRL?
the amount of prolactin you find in pituitary is much less, compared to GH
there’s more GH producing cells in the pituitary (50%)
only ~16% of prolactin producing cells-> less prolactin is produced by the pituitary compared to GH
how much PRL is secrted by pituitary?
0.1 mg
What hormones are essential for initiation and maintenance of milk secretion?
Milk produciton?
initiation and maintenance of milk secretion- PRL and cortisol
milk production- Decrease of estrogen and progesterone after parturition is permissive for milk production
What happens to milk after Hypophysectomy and adrenalectomy? WHat does it suggest?
Hypophysectomy leads to immediate cessation of milk production- thus PRL is absolutely essential for milk production
Adrenalectomy leads to a gradual reduction in milk production- thus cortisol is somewhat esential for milk production
What is the PRL locus? GH?
GH has multiple locus
Prolactin locus has one gene – PRL
What kind of hormone is PRL? is it stored?
peptide hormone
stored in granules in lactotrophs
What are the circulatory sizes of PRL?
After prodcution, PRL protein is processed-> Circulates in various sizes – monomeric, dimeric and polymeric
Monomeric, has 1 copy – most bioactive
What is PRL’sgene expression and release regulated by ?
Gene expression and release are regulated by
postivie regulation: PrRP, EGF, FGF, VIP, estrogen, TRH, thyroid hormone,
negative regulation: dopamine, endothelin, TGFb, somatostatin
Is PrRp the releasing factor of PRL? What is the structure of it>
we are not sure
it’s a peptide
What is major pathway of PRL release regulation?
negative pathways are most common, especially via negative regulation by dopmaine
dopamine has an inhibiting effect on prolactin releasing cells- these cells have a dopamine receptors
more dopamine = less prolactin
Does PRL have an effect on dopamin
They both have negative effects on each other
prolactin has negative feedback on dopamine release
prolactin receptors are expressed by dopaminergic neurones in the hypothalamus
What is the half-life of PRL
25-45 min-> short
What is the type of PRL release? When does it occur
episodic release- 4-14 pulses
lowest 10:00-12:00, highest at dark times of the day
PRL levels and age
Levels reduce with age
Where are PRL receptors expressed?
PRL receptors are expressed in breast tissue and in many other tissues including pituitary, liver, adrenal cortex, kidneys, prostate, ovary, testes, intestine, epidermis, pancreatic islets, lung, myocardium, brain, and lymphocytes
Prolactin signaling
PRL is a peptide-> uses a membrance receptor
Uses a tyrosine kinase with an adaptor in the form of JAK
dimerization of PRL receptro sometiemes requires PRL-> PRL dependent dimerization
in some, it doesn’t - indepenedent dimerization (dimerization occurs and only after PRL can interact wiht the receptor)
in any case, dimerization in essential with an adaptor-> needed to initiate kinase cascade
Desribe the mamary gland structure
- Mammary gland has an epithelium layer which are milk-producing cells
These alveolar epithelium cells act as exocrine gland
Myoepithilum cells are contractile and surround the alveolar epithelium- needed to push out the milk produced by the alveolar epithelium
Alveolar epithelium release- they produce milk and milk is released by exocytosis that damages the whole cell- half of the cells is taken out as milk is released- a lot of proliferation occurs there
what is the main target of prolactin?
mammary gland
is PRL necessary for the development of the mammary gland?
no
Which part of the breast tissue is under the control of PRL? WHat is their role?
alveolar epithelium- require PRL amongst other hormones such as estrogen and progestreone , as well as adrenal steroids
Hormonal regulation of production and secretion
milk synthesis and secretion regulation: PRL help epithelial cells to produce and secrete milk which then goest to alveolar cavity
oxytocin act on myoepithelial cells that are contractile and contract under the influence of oxytocin -> contraction of alveoli and ejection of milk
durign lactation both PRL and oxytocin are necessary- > coordinated function
Which hormones are required for Duct system development?
estrogen, GH, adrenal steroids
Hormones required for alveolar growth
estrogen, progesterone, adrenal steroids, PRL
suckling effect on milk ejection and secretion
sucking stimulation is important
mechanic receptors bring these signals to the brain, and they are integrated in the hypothalamus which stimulate release PRL from anterior pituitary. oxytocin release from posterior pituitary is also stimulated
PEL form anterior pituitary acts to synthesis ans secrete milk
Oxytocin from posterior acts on myoepithelial cells around each alveolus-> lead to milk ejection
reproductive function and PRL
Involved in regulation of the reproductive systems
negative regulation in humans, in some species, the regulaiton is positive
Effects of high levels of PRL on the repdocutive system
hyperprolactinemic conditions associated with hypogonadism in males and females
high levels of PRL inhibits reproductive function, especially gonadotropins
high levels of PRL inhibit those
true for both males and females
PRL and amenorrhea
high levels of PRL associated with breast feeding associated with lactational amenorrhea
vcommon birth control method in many cultures
the longer the breast feeding - the longer is reproduction cessation
do gonadotrophs have PRL receptors?
yes
PRL and immunomodulation
- PRLR on both B and T cells and macrophages
- PRL acts as a mitogen (proliferation) and promotes survival, especially for resident macrophages
- PRL receptors found in most tissues
- exact role is no known, but it seems to act synergistically with many other hormones
- deleted PRLR-> compromised function
What is Adrenocorticotrophin?
Adrenocorticotrophin (ACTH) is the anterior pituitary mediator of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis that regulates responses to a variety of stressors, including hypoglycemia, psychological stressors such as fear, and physical stressors