Placental function and development of fetal nervous system.

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The placenta plays an essential role in fetal growth and survival, maintenance of the maternal metabolic status during pregnancy by virtue of its multiple functions relating to the transport of nutrients and waste between mother and fetus, modulation of the maternal and fetal immune systems to prevent rejection of each other, and its endocrinological function of maintaining the pregnancy. The main endocrine participation of the placenta is attributed to placental lactogens(PLs). Considering the phenomenon that twice daily surges of prolactin ceased when secretion of PLs started in the rat and administration of prolactin, which is structurally related to the PLs, stimulates maternal behavior the animals, the PLs are proposed to affect the central nervous function in the dam. In the present study, we showed that the mRNA for PL or prolactin receptor expressed in the fetal rat brain during fetal development. We also succeeded to isolate cDNAclone for a novel PL,PL-Im, and produce the recombinant protein. In the course of these studies, monoclonal antibodies which recognize the molecule in the developing fetal brain were obtained. mRNA for 20alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase expressed in the placenta to protect the fetus from the maternal steroid environment.