PURPOSE OF REVIEW Leptin, a key hormone in energy homeostasis and neuroendocrine function, has a permissive role in initiating puberty and is crucial in the pathogenesis of reproductive dysfunction in several disease states of energy imbalance. KiSS1 neurons have recently been suggested to mediate leptin's effect on the reproductive system. New insights from recent animal studies and clinical t...

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) lacks the expression of estrogen receptor α, progesterone receptor and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). TNBC patients lack targeted therapies, as they fail to respond to endocrine and anti-HER2 therapy. Prognosis for this aggressive cancer subtype is poor and survival is limited due to the development of resistance to available chemotherapies...

Kisspeptins are peptide products of the KiSS-1 metastasis-suppressor (KISS1) gene and the natural ligands of the G-protein– coupled receptor GPR54. KISS1 was initially investigated as an antimetastasis gene. More recent studies have demonstrated that the kisspeptins are potent stimulators of the hypothalamo-pituitarygonadal axis. Mice and humans with defective kisspeptin signaling show hypogona...