Linda Schuler
Prolactin Actions on Fetal and Maternal Tissues During Pregnancy

Finally, we are examining several targets during pregnancy to study the structural differences between the pituitary and placental hormones on signal transduction and cross talk with other growth factors. These include endometrial cell lines to examine modulation of uterine function as it may occur during pregnancy, and studies of the multiple cell types within the developing fetal immune system. These latter cells acquire prolactin and growth hormone receptors temporally correlated with development of immune competence, and these hormones are able to modulate cytokine expression. Using fetal thymocytes as well as thymic stromal cells, we are investigating the pathways by which this occurs.

Publications on this topic:

Merkle, C.J., L.A. Schuler, R.C. Schaeffer, Jr., J.M. Gribbon and D.W. Montgomery. Structural and functional effects of high prolactin levels on injured endothelial cells identification of an endothelial prolactin receptor, Endocrine 13:37-46, 2000.

Stewart, M.D., G.A. Johnson, C.A. Gray, R.C. Burghardt, L.A. Schuler, M.M. Joyce, F.W. Bazer, and T.E. Spencer. Prolactin receptor expression in the ovine uterus, Biol. Reprod 62: 1779-1789, 2000.  [Abstract]  [Full Text]

Schuler, L.A. and M.A. Kessler. A plethora of proteins produced by the bovine placenta. International Workshop on Embryogenesis and Implantation, National Institute of Animal Industry, Japan, pp. 189-199, 1999.

Chen, H-T., L.A. Schuler, and R.D. Schultz. Growth hormone receptor expression and effect on fetal lymphoid cells, Mol. Cell. Endocrinol. 137:21-29, 1998.  [Abstract]

Kessler, M.A. and L.A. Schuler. Purification and properties of native prolactin-related protein I, Placenta 18:29-36, 1997.  [Abstract]

Schuler, L.A., R.M. Nagel, J. Gao, N.D. Horseman and M.A. Kessler. Prolactin receptor heterogeneity in fetal and maternal tissues, Endocrinology 138:3187-3194, 1997.  [Abstract]

Tseng, Y-H., M.A. Kessler and L.A. Schuler. Regulation of cytokine expression by growth hormone and prolactin in thymic stromal cells, Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology 128:117-127, 1997.  [Abstract]

Chen, H-T., L.A. Schuler and R.D. Schultz. Expression of bovine growth hormone and pit-1/ GHF-1 transcription factor in fetal lymphoid cells, Domestic Animal Endocrinology 14:399-407, 1997.  [Abstract]

Schuler, L.A., J-C. Lu and J.L. Brockman. Prolactin receptor heterogeneity:  Processing and signaling of the long and short isoforms during development.  Biochem. Soc. Trans. 29:52-56, 2001. [Abstract]