Transgenic mice overexpressing human growth hormone (hGH) exhibit accelerated aging with functional hyperprolactinemia and greatly depressed endogenous prolactin. Calorie restriction (CR) is widely recognized as the most effective experimental intervention to delay aging. The aim of the present work was to analyze the effects of lifelong overexpression of hGH on prolactin-gene expression as well as the dopamine production at the pituitary level and discern whether this mechanism changes as a function of feeding patterns. Ten-month-old mice fed every other day (EOD) were killed after one day of fasting. The results confirmed typical phenotypic features of these transgenic mice: an increase in body weight, very high hGH plasma concentrations, and hyperinsulinemia. There was a marked inhibition of the expression of the prolactin gene, together with an increased tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and the long isoform of dopamine receptor type 2 (D2LR) gene expression at the pituitary level. These parameters were not affected by the EOD feeding pattern. These data may suggest an autocrine or paracrine effect of dopamine at the hypophyseal level on prolactin secretion that is independent of the feeding pattern.
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