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ABSTRACT
Within the human utero-placental unit only decidualized stromal cells express mRNA for prolactin. However, it is not clear if the level of prolactin production is related to the number of decidualized cells or the capacity of individual decidual cells to synthesize prolactin, either or both of which parameters may change during pregnancy. In the present study, prolactin production at different stages of human pregnancy was examined using quantitative in situ hybridization to assess decidual prolactin mRNA abundance, immunocytochemistry to examine the prolactin content inside decidual cells and RIA to measure decidual prolactin output into amniotic fluid. Throughout pregnancy the proportion of stromal cells showing positive immunostaining and mRNA for prolactin increased. There was a parallel increase in decidual cell size which was correlated with an increase in prolactin gene expression and intensity of immuno-staining for prolactin in individual decidual cells. These changes in decidual cells were consistent with the changes in the concentration of prolactin in amniotic fluid. These results suggest that there is a close link between the level of prolactin gene expression and production of prolactin by individual decidual cells, which in turn is directly related to the process of decidualization that continues throughout human pregnancy.
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ABSTRACT
While the fetal pituitary synthesizes and releases prolactin, it is also produced within the utero-placental unit during pregnancy in women and has been localized in the amnion, chorion and decidua. However, it is not clear whether prolactin is synthesized within all these non-fetal pituitary tissues. We have investigated prolactin production and its gene expression using tissue culture, immunocytochemistry and in-situ hybridization techniques. Prolactin was immunolocalized not only in the decidua but also in amnion and trophoblast cells. In contrast, the in-situ hybridization results showed that silver grains, formed by specific hybridization of a prolactin cDNA probe to prolactin mRNA, were confined to decidual cells of early and term pregnancy. The results from tissue cultures correlated well with those of in-situ hybridization, that is that only the decidua made detectable prolactin, while it was undetectable in the culture medium from trophoblast tissue, irrespective of the stage of pregnancy. This study, for the first time, establishes that only decidualized cells are involved in biosynthesis of prolactin; other prolactin-containing cells in the amnion and trophoblast appear to sequester prolactin, possibly via receptors, suggesting that prolactin may play an important paracrine role within the amnion and syncitio- and cytotrophoblast of the utero-placental unit.
