Abstract
Prolactin (PRL) is a polypeptide hormone found in high concentration in the fetus. Serum PRL levels are low in infants with respiratory distress syndrome and some studies have proposed a direct role for PRL in fetal lung maturation and surfactant production. PRL, being a peptide hormone, has to bind to cell surface receptors on the target organ before initiating a physiological action. Hence the ontogeny of PRL binding in fetal rat lungs from 18 through 22 days gestation was studied. Fetal lungs from timed (±12 hours) Sprague-Dawley pregnant rats were removed and immediately frozen on dry ice. Fetal lungs from one to three litters were pooled for each membrane preparation. PRL binding to the fetal lung membranes was determined, in duplicate, by incubating the membranes (0.3-0.8mg protein; overnight at room temperature) in the presence of [125I] Iodo-hGH (100×103cpm; 1.0 ng) with (non-specific binding) or without (total binding) a 2000 fold excess of non-radioactive ovine PRL. All data are reported as counts per minute (cpm) of hormone specifically bound (total binding minus non-specific binding).
Specific PRL binding in fetal lungs is high at 18 days gestation and there is a significant decline in hormone binding as gestation nears term (r=0.774; p<0.0001).
(This study was supported by BRSG RR5360).
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Dhanireddy, R., Ali, M. ONTOGENY OF PROLACTIN RECEPTORS IN FETAL RAT LUNG. Pediatr Res 21 (Suppl 4), 211 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198704010-00270
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198704010-00270