Kisspeptins are new actors in the neuroendocrine regulation of reproduction. In vertebrates, the number of kiss genes varies from none to three. Zebrafish have two kiss genes, kiss1 and kiss2, and two kiss receptors (GPR54), kiss1r and kiss2r. To provide detailed information on the organization of the kiss systems in zebrafish, antibodies were raised against the C terminus of zebrafish preproKi...

The kinetics of exo-endocytotic recycling could restrict information transfer at central synapses if neurotransmission were entirely reliant on classical full-collapse fusion. Nonclassical fusion retrieval by kiss-and-run would be kinetically advantageous but remains controversial. We used a hydrophilic quencher, bromophenol blue (BPB), to help detect nonclassical events. Upon stimulation, extr...

Intimate interactions between remotely located individuals are not well supported by conventional communication tools, mainly due to the lack of physical contact. Also, haptic research has not focused on the use of a kiss as a mode of interaction that maintains intimacy in long distance relationships. In this study, we designed and developed a haptic device called Kissenger (Kiss-Messenger) for...

The kiss of death Cellular suicide is a grave matter, motivating researchers to a thorough exploration of the genetic pathways involved. Of the three main means by which cells die, most in the scientific community are quite familiar with the genetically regulated apoptotic pathway (1). Autophagy, in which the cell literally digests itself, is likewise now also recognized as a form of regulated ...

The programmed cell death (PCD) of neurons is generally thought to be cell autonomous and not to require a death signal from other cells. A recent study by Marín-Teva et al., in this issue of Neuron, brings this theory into question and suggests that neighboring microglia actively participate in the PCD of Purkinje cells in the cerebellum.

Nesfatin-1 is an important molecule in the regulation of reproduction. However, its role in the reproductive axis in male animals remains to be understood. Here, we found that nesfatin-1 was mainly distributed in the arcuate nucleus (ARC), paraventricular nucleus (PVN), periventricular nucleus (PeN), and lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) of the hypothalamus; adenohypophysis and Leydig cells in ma...

Anne F. Eder & Joseph E. Kiss 1 National Medical Affairs; Biomedical Services, National Headquarters, American Red Cross and Adjunct Associate Professor, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA 2 Hemapheresis and Blood Services, The Institute for Transfusion Medicine; and Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, The University o...

Zhang et al. (Research Articles, 13 March 2009, p. 1448) reported that synaptic vesicles usually release neurotransmitter through a kiss-and-run mechanism occurring within 1 second but that full collapse of the vesicles becomes more prevalent with repeated stimuli. We report that the kinetics of vesicle retrieval do not change during a stimulus train, with endocytosis occurring in 10 to 15 seco...

The neuropeptide kisspeptin, encoded by Kiss1, regulates reproduction by stimulating GnRH secretion. Kiss1-syntheizing neurons reside primarily in the hypothalamic anteroventral periventricular (AVPV/PeN) and arcuate (ARC) nuclei. AVPV/PeN Kiss1 neurons are sexually dimorphic, with females expressing more Kiss1 than males, and participate in estradiol (E2)-induced positive feedback control of G...