**Author details**

Erika Ginsburg, Christopher D. Heger, Paul Goldsmith and Barbara K. Vonderhaar *Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, USA* 

#### **Acknowledgement**

This research was supported by the Intramural Research Program of the NIH, National Cancer Institute. We thank Sarah J. Tarplin for her assistance with the immunostaining and to Dr. Jodie M. Fleming for helpful discussions. The authors have no competing interests.

#### **8. References**

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**Chapter 12** 

© 2013 López et al., licensee InTech. This is an open access chapter distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

© 2013 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution,

**Physiological and Pathological** 

Miguel Ángel Castaño López, José Luís Robles Rodríguez

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

**Can We Minimize Errors in the Clinical Practice?** 

Human prolactin is a single-chain polypeptide hormone. It has a molecular weight of approximately 22,500 Da (figure 1). It takes part in lactation through physiological and

Its polypeptide chain consists of 198-200 amino acid remainders which complete sequence is unknown. Over 80% of the first 50 amino acids are identical or equivalent to the bovine

The prolactin molecule is arranged in a single chain of amino acids with three intra molecular disulfide bonded between six cysteine residues (Cys4-Cys11, Cys58-Cys174, Cys191-Cys199 in humans). The sequence homology can vary from the striking 97% among

The sequence of the first 23 amino acid remainders corresponding to the N-terminal extreme NH2-leu-pro-ile-cys-pro-gly-ala-ala-arg-cys-gln-val-thr-leu-arg-asp-leu-phe-asp-arg-ala-val It's secreted by the anterior part of the hypophysis, the adenohypophysis (figure 2) that stimulates the milk production in the mammary glands and the progesterone synthesis in

Although the major form of prolactin found in the pituitary gland is 23 kDa, variants of prolactin have been characterized in many mammals, including humans. Prolactin variants can be results of alternative splicing of the primary transcript, proteolytic cleavage and other

and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

**Hyperprolactinemia:** 

and Marta Robles García

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/54758

**1. Introduction** 

biochemical events.

the corpus luteum.

primates to as low as 56% in rodents (1)

posttranslational modifications of the amino acid chain (1)

prolactin.

