Influence of prolactin on the differentiation of mouse B-lymphoid precursors

• Published in: Cell growth & differentiation Vol. 10; no. 8; pp. 583 - 590
• Main Authors: MORALES, P, CARRETERO, M. V, GERONIMO, H, COPIN, S. G, GASPAR, M. L, MARCOS, M. A. R, MARTIN-PEREZ, J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia, PA American Association for Cancer Research 01.08.1999
• Subjects: Animals; B-Lymphocytes - cytology; B-Lymphocytes - drug effects; bcl-X Protein; Biological and medical sciences; Cell Differentiation - drug effects; Cell differentiation, maturation, development, hematopoiesis; Cell physiology; Cell Survival - drug effects; Cells, Cultured; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Female; Flow Cytometry; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Immunoglobulin Light Chains; Immunoglobulin Light Chains, Surrogate; Interleukin-3 - pharmacology; Membrane Glycoproteins - biosynthesis; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Molecular and cellular biology; Prolactin - pharmacology; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 - metabolism; Rats; Receptors, Interleukin-2 - biosynthesis; Receptors, Prolactin - genetics; Receptors, Prolactin - metabolism; Stem Cells - cytology; Stem Cells - drug effects; Transcription, Genetic - drug effects; Transfection; Up-Regulation - drug effects; Protein hormone; Vertebrata; Lymphopoiesis; Regulation(control); Mammalia; Adenohypophyseal hormone; Mouse; Prolactin; Rodentia; B-Lymphocyte; Cell differentiation
• ISSN: 1044-9523; 2377-0732

Development and activation of immune cells are submitted to hormonal influences, as illustrated by the roles of corticosteroids in thymus, pregnancy-related estrogens in B-cell development, or prolactin (PRL) on T-cell generation and function. We have analyzed the putative role of PRL in B lymphopoiesis and differentiation. We chose as an experimental model the interleukin (IL)-3 dependent BaF-3 pro-B cell line, which was transfected with the rat long form of the PRL receptor (PRL-R) and transferred from IL-3- to PRL-enriched media. When stimulated with PRL, the PRL-R transfectants underwent some changes characteristic of B-cell differentiation: (a) IL-2R alpha chain became positively controlled by PRL; (b) antiapoptotic Bcl-2 protein was induced by PRL in a dose-dependent manner; and (c) transcription of the pre-B cell receptor encoding the lambda5 gene was strongly up-regulated. We attempted to evaluate the differentiation-promoting activity of PRL in more physiological conditions, and the presence of PRL-R in bone marrow B-cell precursors was revealed. Furthermore, PRL promoted significant expansions of defined B-lineage cell populations in short-term bone marrow cell cultures. These findings suggest that PRL, in collaboration with other cytokines and hormonal influences, modulates B-cell development.