Kisspeptins are neuropeptides encoded by the Kiss1 gene, which have been implicated in the neuroendocrine regulation of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) secretion. The goal of this study was to test the hypothesis that activation of Kiss1 neurons in the anteroventral periventricular nucleus (AVPV) is linked to the induction of the preovulatory luteinizing hormone (LH) surge in the rat. Fir...

Following the discovery of kisspeptin (Kiss) and its receptor (GPR54 or KissR) in mammals, phylogenetic studies revealed up to three Kiss and four KissR paralogous genes in other vertebrates. The multiplicity of Kiss and KissR types in vertebrates probably originated from the two rounds of whole-genome duplication (1R and 2R) that occurred in early vertebrates. This review examines compelling r...

Cancer disease is the second leading cause of death in the world and one of the main fields of medical research. Although there is now a greater understanding of biological mechanisms of uncontrolled cell growth, invasiveness and metastasization, the multistep process of cancer development and evolution is still incompletely understood. The inhibition of molecules activated in cancer metastasiz...

BACKGROUND Kisspeptins and their G-protein coupled receptor, GPR54 are required for GnRH release and have been associated with anti-metastatic tumour cell behaviour in model systems. The latter might suggest that their overexpression would be associated with a better prognosis in cancer. However, kisspeptin/GPR54 interactions (autocrine, paracrine, and/or endocrine) could also impact tumour beh...

Neuropeptide kisspeptin has been suggested to be an essential central regulator of reproduction in response to changes in serum gonadal steroid concentrations. However, in spite of wide kisspeptin receptor distribution in the brain, especially in the preoptic area and hypothalamus, the research focus has mostly been confined to the kisspeptin regulation on GnRH neurons. Here, by using medaka wh...

Kisspeptins (Kp), products of the Kiss1 gene, have emerged as essential elements in the control of GnRH neurons and gonadotropic secretion. However, despite considerable progress in the field, to date limited attention has been paid to elucidate the potential interactions of Kp with other neurotransmitters known to centrally regulate the gonadotropic axis. We characterize herein the impact of m...

We have previously shown that a decrease in gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) tone and a subsequent increase in glutamatergic tone occur in association with the pubertal increase in luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) release in primates. To further determine the causal relationship between developmental changes in GABA and glutamate levels and the pubertal increase in LHRH release, we ex...

CONTEXT Kisspeptins stimulate GnRH and thus gonadotropin secretion. Kisspeptin-10 is the minimal kisspeptin sequence with full intrinsic bioactivity, but it has not been studied in man. OBJECTIVE We investigated our hypothesis that kisspeptin-10 increases GnRH and thus LH pulse frequency. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS The dose response of kisspeptin-10 was investigated by administering iv bolus d...

Kisspeptin regulates reproductive events, including puberty and ovulation, primarily via GnRH neurons. Prolonged treatment of prepubertal striped bass females with kisspeptin (Kiss) 1 or Kiss2 peptides failed to enhance puberty but suggested a gnrh-independent pituitary control pathway. Kiss2 inhibited, but Kiss1 stimulated, FShβ expression and gonadal development, although hypophysiotropic gnr...

The Kiss1 gene encodes a family of neuropeptides called kisspeptins, which activate the receptor G protein-coupled receptor-54 and play a role in the neuroendocrine regulation of GnRH secretion. We examined whether estradiol (E2) regulates KiSS-1 in the forebrain of the female mouse by comparing KiSS-1 mRNA expression among groups of ovary-intact (diestrus), ovariectomized (OVX), and OVX plus E...