Rate My Professor Pene Knowles

Pene Knowles serves as a Research Technician in the Department of Anatomy at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. She is a member of the Grattan Laboratory within the Centre for Neuroendocrinology, with a stated research focus on prolactin neuroendocrinology. The laboratory examines the neuroendocrine actions of prolactin, particularly in relation to maternal brain adaptations such as appetite and body weight control during pregnancy and lactation, plasticity in oxytocin neurons during late pregnancy and lactation, and prolactin's role in postpartum mood and behavior changes. These studies address clinical conditions including hyperprolactinaemia, infertility, postpartum anxiety, and postpartum depression.

Pene Knowles delivers critical technical support, including genotyping, mouse colony maintenance, and hormone assays, as acknowledged in numerous peer-reviewed publications and student theses. Specific contributions include genotyping the animals for 'Prolactin Action Is Necessary for Parental Behavior in Male Mice' (The Journal of Neuroscience, 2022); genotyping and maintaining mouse colonies for 'Prolactin modulation of thermoregulatory circuits provides hypothermia resistance during lactation' (Cell Reports, 2025); performing prolactin and placental lactogen assays for 'Case–control study of prolactin and placental lactogen in SGA pregnancies' (Reproduction & Fertility, 2021); genotyping mice for 'Prolactin-Induced Adaptation in Glucose Homeostasis during Pregnancy' (Frontiers in Endocrinology, 2021), 'Mechanisms of Lactation-induced Infertility in Female Mice' (Endocrinology, 2023), 'A reduction in voluntary physical activity during pregnancy in mice is mediated by prolactin' (eLife, 2021), and 'Analysis of prolactin receptor expression in the murine adrenal glands' (Journal of Neuroendocrinology, 2018); and assistance with animal care in 'Region-Specific Suppression of Hypothalamic Responses to Glucose during Pregnancy' (Endocrinology, 2017). Additional support encompasses genotyping expertise, colony management, and technical aid documented in various works on prolactin signaling, maternal physiology, and metabolism from 2011 onward. In 2025, she was awarded the Research Support category in the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences Teaching and Research Awards.