Regulation of gill prolactin receptors in tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) after a change in salinity or hypophysectomy

Prolactin (PRL) receptors in gill tissue have been analyzed in tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) after transfer from fresh water (FW) to brackish water (BW). This study has indicated the presence of only one class of tilapia PRL (tiPRL) receptor whatever the salinity. After transfer, however, the percentage of specific binding of the two forms of tiPRL (tiPRLI and tiPRLII) increased significantly. Scatchard analysis of tiPRLI binding indicated an increase in receptor affinity, an effect which was not accompanied by any change in receptor specificity. Transfer to BW also caused the number of tiPRL receptors to increase rapidly, remaining high in fish adapted to BW for 28 days. Based on the sharp reduction in plasma tiPRLI and tiPRLII levels after transfer to BW, one possible explanation may be that tiPRL itself is an important factor regulating the number of free receptors. This hypothesis finds support in the fact that the number of tiPRL receptors also increased in hypophysectomized fish reared in FW. However, the absence of change in receptor affinity after hypophysectomy suggested that yet other factors are involved in tiPRL receptor regulation during the transfer from FW to BW. The paradoxically high numbers of tiPRL receptors in the gills of BW-adapted tilapia, even though PRL is known to be a FW-adapting hormone, is discussed with regard to the environment in which tilapia live.