July 2026 in “Frontiers in Endocrinology” This study observed that beef cattle with certain prolactin receptor gene mutations, known as slick mutations, demonstrated improved post-weaning growth and temperature regulation in a hot, humid climate compared to other genotypes, suggesting genotype influences growth efficiency and heat tolerance.
November 2020 in “Journal of animal science/Journal of animal science ... and ASAS reference compendium” This study identified several genetic variants associated with cattle hair coat length, which may help breed more heat-tolerant animals by facilitating efficient heat loss.
91 citations
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May 2003 in “American Journal of Pathology” This study found that prolactin and its receptor are expressed in the murine hair follicle epithelium, influencing hair cycle phases by down-regulating keratinocyte proliferation during anagen and inducing premature catagen.
73 citations
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June 2001 in “Endocrinology” In this study, researchers found that disrupting the PRL gene in mice led to earlier hair molting, especially in females, suggesting that PRL inhibits murine hair cycle events.
64 citations
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January 2010 in “The FASEB Journal” This study found that prolactin is a key regulator of keratin expression in human hair follicles, enhancing specific keratin types and influencing epithelial stem cell-associated keratins.