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...

Kisspeptin was originally found as a peptide product of Kiss1 gene and is now supposed to be an essential central regulator of reproduction in mammals. However, there is now a growing body of evidence to suggest that kiss2, the paralogous gene for kiss1, evolved in parallel during vertebrate lineage, and the kiss2 product also activates the GPR54 (kisspeptin receptor) signaling pathways. Theref...

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women. In these studies, a metastasis suppressor gene, KISS1 and its truncated fragment, were overexpressed in the breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231. In addition, KISS1 expression was downregulated in MDA-MB-157 cell line using a KISS1-specific siRNA. The effects of KISS1 on breast cancer cells both in vivo and in vitro were then identif...

KISS1 is a broadly functional secreted proprotein that is then processed into small peptides, termed kisspeptins (KP). Since sequence analysis showed cleavage at KR or RR dibasic sites of the nascent protein, it was hypothesized that enzyme(s) belonging to the proprotein convertase family of proteases process KISS1 to generate KP. To this end, cell lines over-expressing KISS1 were treated with ...

The habenula, located on the dorsal thalamic surface, is an emotional and reward processing center. As in the mammalian brain, the zebrafish habenula is divided into dorsal (dHb) and ventral (vHb) subdivisions that project to the interpeduncular nucleus and median raphe (MR) respectively. Previously, we have shown that kisspeptin 1 (Kiss1) expressing in the vHb, regulates the serotonin (5-HT) s...

The Kiss1 gene codes for kisspeptins, which have been implicated in the neuroendocrine regulation of reproduction. In the brain, Kiss1 mRNA-expressing neurons are located in the arcuate (ARC) and anteroventral periventricular (AVPV) nuclei. Kiss1 neurons in the AVPV appear to play a role in generating the preovulatory GnRH/LH surge, which occurs only in females and is organized perinatally by g...

The kisspeptin/Gpr54 signaling pathway plays a critical role in reproduction by stimulating the secretion of GnRH, yet mice carrying mutations in Kiss1 (which encodes kisspeptin) or Gpr54 exhibit partial sexual maturation. For instance, a proportion of female Kiss1−/− and Gpr54−/− mice exhibit vaginal oestrus, and some male Kiss1−/− and Gpr54−/− mice exhibit spermatogenesis. To characterise thi...

Kisspeptin, encoded by Kiss1, stimulates reproduction. In rodents, one Kiss1 population resides in the hypothalamic anterior ventral periventricular nucleus and neighboring rostral periventricular nucleus (AVPV/PeN). AVPV/PeN Kiss1 neurons are sexually dimorphic (greater in females), yet the mechanisms regulating their development and sexual differentiation remain poorly understood. Neonatal es...

Kisspeptin is a product of the Kiss1 gene and is expressed in the forebrain. Neurons that express Kiss1 play a crucial role in the regulation of pituitary luteinizing hormone secretion and reproduction. These neurons are the direct targets for the action of estradiol-17beta (E(2)), which acts via the estrogen receptor alpha isoform (ER alpha) to regulate Kiss1 expression. In the arcuate nucleus...

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...