Pituitary hormoneIn 1937, the successful isolation of the first of the protein pituitary hormones was published in Science journal. Bovine prolactin (bPRL), the lactogenic hormone, was obtained in pure crystalline form by three doctors at the Yale University School of Medicine. This meticulous, time-consuming work by A. White, H.R. Catchpole and C.N.H. Long was done long before the availability of modern chromatographic methods of analysis and purification. The peanut-sized pituitary gland at the base of the brain is the master endocrine gland in vertebrate animals. Different pituitary hormones control the functioning of most of the body's endocrine glands, stimulate growth and control the water balance of the body. Prolactin was first named for its ability to promote milk production in response to the suckling stimulus of hungry young mammals.«[Ref: White, A., Catchpole, H.R. and Long, C.N.H., 'A crystalline protein with high lactogenic activity', Science (23 Jul 1937), 86, 82-83.] |
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