title: Genome-wide association study of prolactin levels in blood plasma and cerebrospinal fluid.
abstract: Prolactin is a polypeptide hormone secreted by the anterior pituitary gland that plays an essential role in lactation, tissue growth, and suppressing apoptosis to increase cell survival. Prolactin serves as a key player in many life-critical processes, including immune system and reproduction. Prolactin is also found in multiple fluids throughout the body, including plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
  
  
  
  In this study, we measured prolactin levels in both plasma and CSF, and performed a genome-wide association study. We then performed meta-analyses using METAL with a significance threshold of p < 5 × 10(-8) and removed SNPs where the direction of the effect was different between the two datasets.
  
  
  
  We identified 12 SNPs associated with increased prolactin levels in both biological fluids.
  
  
  
  Our efforts will help researchers understand how prolactin is regulated in both CSF and plasma, which could be beneficial in research for the immune system and reproduction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84602, USA.
authors.forename: Lyndsay A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Staley
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84602, USA.
authors.forename: Mark T W
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Ebbert
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84602, USA.
authors.forename: Sheradyn
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.affiliation: Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bailey
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84602, USA.
authors.forename: Perry G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Ridge
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience Icahn School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
authors.forename: Alison M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Goate
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84602, USA. Kauwe@byu.edu.
authors.forename: John S K
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Kauwe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000235:genetics; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D055106:Genome-Wide Association Study / Q000379:methods*; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D016014:Linear Models; D015810:Linkage Disequilibrium; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D008875:Middle Aged; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D011388:Prolactin / Q000097:blood* / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D015238:Sulfotransferases / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D011388:Prolactin; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases; C489044:TRIB2 protein, human; C470791:SULF1 protein, human; D015238:Sulfotransferases
keywords: Association; CSF; Genetics; Plasma; Prolactin