Prolactin
Main Entry: pro·lac·tin
Pronunciation: pr - lak-t n
Function: noun
: a protein hormone of the adenohypophysis of the pituitary gland that induces and maintains lactation in the postpartum mammalian female -- abbreviation PRL; called also luteotropic hormone, luteotropin, mammotropin
Prolactin is a single-chain protein hormone closely related to the growth hormone. It is secreted by so-called lactotrophs in the anterior pituitary. It is also synthesized and secreted by a broad range of other cells in the body, most prominently various immune cells, the brain and the decidua of the pregnant uterus.
Prolactin is synthesized as a prohormone. Following cleavage of the signal peptide, the length of the mature hormone is between 194 and 199 amino acids, depending on species. Hormone structure is stabilized by three intra-molecular disulfide bonds.
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