Kisspeptins are a group of peptides that stimulate GnRH release and are required for puberty and maintenance of normal reproductive function. This review focuses on our understanding of the way in which kisspeptin signaling regulates mammalian fertility and how they act as central integrators of different hormonal and physiological signals.

Genes involved in invasion of trophoblast cells and angiogenesis are crucial in determining pregnancy outcome. We therefore studied expression profiles of these genes in both fetal and maternal tissues to enhance our understanding of feto-maternal dialogue. We investigated the expression of genes involved in trophoblast invasion, namely Kiss1, Kiss1 Receptor (Kiss1R) and MMP9 as well as the exp...

The kiss1 peptide (kisspeptin), a product of the kiss1 gene, is one of the key neuropeptides regulating vertebrate reproduction. In 2009, we identified a paralogous gene of kiss1 in the brain of amphibians and named it kiss2. Currently, the presence of the kiss2 gene and the kiss2 peptide is still obscure in amniotes compared with that in other vertebrates. Therefore, we performed genome databa...

The mechanism of action of the metastasis suppressor KiSS1 and its receptor GPR54 is still incompletely characterized. Although the loss of KiSS1 expression by tumor cells has been associated with a metastatic phenotype, the nature of the cellular target of the secreted kisspeptins is unknown. Although an autocrine model of action has been generally assumed, metastasis suppression by KiSS1 has ...

Neurokinin B (NKB) and its cognate receptor neurokinin 3 (NK3R) play a critical role in reproduction. NKB and NK3R are coexpressed with dynorphin (Dyn) and kisspeptin (Kiss1) genes in neurons of the arcuate nucleus (Arc). However, the mechanisms of action of NKB as a cotransmitter with kisspeptin and dynorphin remain poorly understood. We explored the role of NKB in the control of LH secretion ...

Stress elicits activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which leads to enhanced circulating glucocorticoids, as well as impaired gonadotropin secretion and ovarian cyclicity. Here, we tested the hypothesis that elevated, stress-levels of glucocorticoids disrupt ovarian cyclicity by interfering with the preovulatory sequence of endocrine events necessary for the LH surge. Ovarian c...

Hypothalamic kisspeptin neurons integrate and translate cues from the internal and external environments that regulate gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) secretion and maintain fertility in mammals. However, the intracellular signaling pathways utilized to translate such information into changes in kisspeptin expression, release, and ultimately activation of the kisspeptin-receptive GnRH net...

This review aims at synthesizing the most relevant information regarding the neuroendocrine circuits controlling reproduction, mainly gonadotropin release, in teleost fish. In teleosts, the pituitary receives a more or less direct innervation by neurons sending projections to the vicinity of the pituitary gonadotrophs. Among the neurotransmitters and neuropeptides released by these nerve ending...