title: Prolactin stimulates maturation and function of rat thymic dendritic cells.
abstract: The current study analyses the effect of PRL, a hormone involved in numerous physiological processes, on dendritic cells (DC) of rat thymus. Most thymic DC express prolactin receptors (PRL-R) as demonstrated by both immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry. PRL administration during 2 or 6 days to fetal thymus organ cultures (FTOC) does not increase the proportions of DC in cultures but stimulates their differentiation. Furthermore, PRL-treated thymic DC exhibit increased allostimulatory capacity in mixed leukocyte reaction (MLR) assays in association with increased surface expression of both MHC antigens and the co-stimulatory molecule CD80. PRL-treated DC also produce increased amounts of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-12, TNFalpha and IL-1beta, but not of IL6 or IL-10. Our data suggest a key role for IL-12 in the observed changes in the allostimulatory capacity of PRL-treated DC. Also, they permit us to hypothesize about the physiological role played by PRL in thymus ontogeny.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biology, Complutense University, Madrid 28040, Spain.
authors.forename: Paz C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Carreño
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jiménez
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sacedón
authors.forename: Angeles
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vicente
authors.forename: Agustín G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Zapata
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells / Q000502:physiology; D002452:Cell Count; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018920:Coculture Techniques / Q000379:methods; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D004347:Drug Interactions; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000379:methods; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D011388:Prolactin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011981:Receptors, Prolactin / Q000378:metabolism; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000166:cytology*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D011981:Receptors, Prolactin; D011388:Prolactin