Prl5a1, a member of the prolactin family, is involved in several biological processes. In the context of placentation, it may play a role in the regulation of the junctional zone. Additionally, it is implicated in uterine development and endometrial adenogenesis [1,2].

In rat placentation studies, Prl5a1 transcript levels were used as a quantitative trait to distinguish strain-specific features. Chromosome-substituted rat strains (with BN chromosomes introgressed into the DSS inbred strain) showed that chromosomes 14 and 17 possess regulatory information controlling Prl5a1 transcript-level quantitative trait related to placentation. In neonatal mouse uterine development, the expression of Prl5a1 increased along with the development of uterine glands, and its expression was suppressed by progesterone injection, indicating its role in endometrial adenogenesis [1,2]. In mouse trophoblast stem cells, overexpression of EGAM1C enhanced the expression levels of Prl5a1, suggesting a potential regulatory role of EGAM1C on Prl5a1 expression [3].

In conclusion, Prl5a1 is important in placental and uterine development. The use of chromosome-substituted rat strains and studies in neonatal mice and trophoblast stem cells have provided insights into its functions. Understanding Prl5a1 may contribute to a better understanding of placental function, uterine development, and potentially related diseases [1,2,3].

References:

1. Konno, Toshihiro, Rempel, Lea A, Rumi, M A Karim, Renaud, Stephen J, Soares, Michael J. 2011. Chromosome-substituted rat strains provide insights into the genetics of placentation. In Physiological genomics, 43, 930-41. doi:10.1152/physiolgenomics.00069.2011. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21652768/

2. Kang, Jinwen, Liu, Yingnan, Zhang, Yu, Wu, Yao, Su, Renwei. 2022. The Influence of the Prolactins on the Development of the Uterus in Neonatal Mice. In Frontiers in veterinary science, 9, 818827. doi:10.3389/fvets.2022.818827. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35252420/

3. Saito, Koichi, Ogawa, Atsushi, Toyofuku, Kyoko, Kojima, Ikuo, Kobayashi, Masayuki. 2010. Relationships between homeoprotein EGAM1C and the expression of the placental prolactin gene family in mouse placentae and trophoblast stem cells. In Reproduction (Cambridge, England), 141, 259-68. doi:10.1530/REP-10-0355. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21084569/