Prolactin regulation of insulin‐like growth factor 2 gene expression in the adult mouse choroid plexus

What is it about?

The choroid plexus is an epithelial structure that makes cerebrospinal fluid, and is thought to have a regulatory role in brain function through controlling access of substances from blood to the brain. This tissue expresses a high level of receptors for the anterior pituitary hormone prolactin. While prolactin receptors were previously thought to facilitate prolactin transport into the brain, we recently showed that this was not the case. The aim of the present study was to determine the function of prolactin receptors in the choroid plexus, using an unbiased RNA sequencing strategy to evaluate gene expression with and without prolactin action. The effect of prolactin was evaluated both in the non-pregnant state, and during lactation, when endogenous prolactin is very high. In these different situations, prolactin had a differential effect on expression of a wide variety of genes. One gene that stood out, however, was the growth factor insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2). This was one of the highest expressed protein in the choroid plexus, and was markedly unregulated by prolactin. The data suggest that IGF2 might be a major target for prolactin action in the choroid plexus, potentially mediating some of the downstream actions of prolactin in the brain.

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