Figure 3.
Targeted inactivation of the Nr4a2 locus in mouse lactotropes results in a decrease in prolactin-positive cells. A. Immunofluorescent detection of PRL and NR4A2 proteins in dispersed pituitary cells. The representative field is from a WT mouse stained for PRL (red) and NR4A2 (green). Lactotropes (red arrows) contain Prl in the cytoplasm and Nr4a2 in the nucleus. A number of nonlactotrope cells in the pituitary also express Nr4a2 (white arrows). B. Quantification of the numbers of GH+, PRL+, and GH+/PRL+ cells in control (Nr4a2fl/fl) and in Nr4a2fl/fl/Prl-Cre conditional knockout mice. N = 500 total pituitary cells. (* indicates P < 0.05 as determined by 1-way analysis of variance test). GH, growth hormone; NR4A2, nuclear orphan receptor transcription factor; PRL, prolactin; WT, wild type.