Prolactin binding and localization in rat mammary tumor mast cells.

We found that prolactin is taken up by mast cells residing in prolactin-dependent, 7,12-dimethylbenzanthracene-induced rat mammary tumors. Light and electron microscopic immunocytochemistry showed that mast cells concentrate prolactin in their cytoplasmic granules. No prolactin was found on mast cell surface membranes or in their nuclei. In primary cultures of tumor cells, mast cells were found mainly in the periphery of dome structures and these cells concentrated prolactin. When purified rat peritoneal mast cells were incubated with 125I-labeled prolactin, uptake was time, energy, and temperature dependent. Seventy % of accumulated prolactin was released intact from cytoplasmic granules by C48/80-induced degranulation. A mouse mastocytoma cell line also took up and released prolactin. These cells contained prolactin receptors (Kd = 4.5 nM) as determined in whole cells (approximately 3150 sites/cell) and in crude membranes (approximately 180 fmol/mg protein). We conclude that mast cells might significantly influence mammary tumor growth by accumulating and releasing prolactin within tumor tissue.