Expression of Prolactin mRNA in Rat Mammary Gland During Pregnancy and LactationToshiki Iwasakaa,b, Shinobu Umemuraa, Kochi Kakimotoa,b, Haruko Koizumib, and Yoshiyuki R. Osamuraaa Department of Pathology, Tokai University School of Medicine,, Kanagawa, Japan b Toxicology Research Laboratories, Central Pharmaceutical Research Institute, Japan Tobacco Inc., Kanagawa, Japan Correspondence to: Shinobu Umemura, Dept. of Pathology, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara, Kanagawa 259-1193, Japan. E-mail: umemura@keyaki.cc.u-tokai.ac.jp We studied the expression of prolactin (PRL) mRNA in the mammary gland of resting, pregnant, lactating, and weanling rats using in situ and solution reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). In mid- to late pregnancy and throughout lactation, PRL mRNA was detected in both in situ and solution RT-PCR. These PRL mRNA signals were clearly identified in the cytoplasm of alveolar and ductal mammary epithelial cells by the in situ RT-PCR method. In mid- to late pregnancy, such as at the initiating point of PRL mRNA expression, we confirmed in some cases a lack of PRL mRNA by solution RT-PCR. In addition, in the early weaning phase, no signals were detected by solution RT-PCR. However, slight focal signals were detected in some poorly vacuolated cytoplasm of regressing acinar cells by in situ RT-PCR. These findings suggest that PRL mRNA in rat mammary gland begins in mid- to late pregnancy in parallel with the development of the mammary gland, continues throughout lactation, and declines in the early phase of weaning, with regression of mammary epithelial cells. (J Histochem Cytochem 48:389395, 2000) Key Words: prolactin mRNA, rat mammary gland, pregnancy, lactation, weaning, in situ RT-PCR
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