Action mechanism of pituitary hormones--receptor and signal transduction--prolactin
Aono, T.; Yokoyama, Y.
Nihon Rinsho. Japanese Journal of Clinical Medicine 51(10): 2631-2635
1993
ISSN/ISBN: 0047-1852 PMID: 8254931 Document Number: 406459
The purification and identification of human prolactin (hPRL) had been delayed, compared with other pituitary hormones, until the determination of total amino acid sequence of hPRL in 1977. A full-length cDNA for the hPRL receptor was identified from hepatoma and breast cancer cell lines in 1989. Subsequent identification of cDNAs for PRL receptor of several species revealed that molecular size of PRL receptors could be classified into three forms, i.e., long, short and intermediate, according to the length of intracellular domain. The mechanism of post-receptor signal transduction has not been clarified yet. However, protein kinase C may be involved in this process. Further studies are necessary to investigate the relationship between molecular size of PRL receptor and postreceptor events.