Mechanisms Mediating the Control of Prolactin Secretion in the Teleost Fish

催乳素(PRL)是一种激素，在调节盐分和水分平衡、生殖和刺激乳腺生长和功能方面起着非常重要的作用。硬骨鱼的脑垂体是研究催乳素(PRL)分泌的一个很有吸引力的系统。硬骨PRL细胞在脊椎动物中是独一无二的，它被分离成几乎均匀的团块，很容易分离出来，以便与其他身体系统隔离研究。此外，这些PRL细胞可以在培养皿中保持正常的细胞-细胞结合状态至少两周。这些特征有助于实现这个项目的目标，即利用正常(即非癌症)组织来表征PRL的分泌机制。研究将针对可能是PRL细胞功能的重要调节因素的几种多肽和类固醇激素的检查。这些因素将被用来继续描述控制PRL细胞的机制。配套研究将检查催乳素细胞对渗透压的反应方式。这些研究将有助于阐明控制盐分和水分平衡的荷尔蒙的分泌是如何被调节的。

Prolactin (PRL) is a hormone which is very important in the regulation of salt and water balance, and in reproduction and in the stimulation of mammary growth and function. The pituitary of bony fishes is an attractive system for studying prolactin (PRL) secretion. Unique among vertebrate animals, teleost PRL cells are segregated as a nearly homogeneous mass which is easily separated for study in isolation from other body systems. Also, these PRL cells can be maintained in their normal cell-cell associations for at least two weeks in culture dishes. These features facilitate the achievement of the goals of this project which are to characterize PRL secretory mechanisms using normal (i.e. not cancerous) tissues. Studies will be directed toward the examination of several peptide and steroid hormones that may be important regulators of PRL cell function. These factors will be used to continue the characterization of the mechanisms that control PRL cells. Companion studies will examine the manner in which the PRL cell responds to osmotic pressure. These studies will help to clarify how the secretion of the hormones that control salt and water balance is regulated.//