[Structural characteristics of prolactin, growth hormone and their receptors as determinants of biological actions].

The pituitary hormones prolactin and growth hormone are structurally related. Both hormones exist in the circulation in several molecular forms, differing in aminoacid sequences, posttranslational modifications and fragments produced by proteolytic cleavage. Heterogencity may produce a diversity of inmunological and biological actions. It has been suggested that each of this forms may be a isohormone with a different physiological role. The predominance of one of them in serun could account for the complex and often contradictory actions of the hormones. In addition receptors also have structural homology and so the possibility exist that these hormones share binding affinity to the receptors and can produce endocrinological problems in some special conditions.