Prolactin and osmoregulation in vertebrates. An update

Studies on the roles of prolactin in vertebrate osmoregulation have expanded in recent years to include examination of ionic and osmotic factors contributing to the regulation of secretion by paraneuronal prolactin-secreting cells and the effects of prolactin on a number of ion- and water-transporting epithelial tissues. Coupled with information on whole-animal homeostatic effects, the application of surgical, tissue-culture, biophysical and biochemical techniques to individual components will facilitate broader and more integrated functional analyses of the important osmoregulatory effects of this hormone in all vertebrate classes.