Figure 1
From: Placental expression of pituitary hormones is an ancestral feature of therian mammals
Quantitative expression of GH, GH-R, IGF-2 and PRL in the trilaminar yolksac placenta. Relative mRNA expression of the growth genes GH, GH-R and IGF-2 all increased significantly compared to β-actin after shell coat rupture in the tammar placenta. This period of pregnancy is characterized by rapid fetal growth and development prior to birth of the altricial young (n = 3 to -6 per stage; letters indicate significant differences P < 0.05; there were no significant changesin prolactin (PRL) expression over this period; GH, growth hormone; GH-R, growth hormone receptor; IGF-2, insulin-like growth factor-2).