Kisspeptins (Kp), peptide products of the Kisspeptin-1 (KISS1) gene are endogenous ligands for a G protein-coupled receptor 54 (GPR54). Previous findings have shown that KISS1 acts as a metastasis suppressor in numerous cancers in humans. However, recent studies have demonstrated that an increase in KISS1 and GPR54 expression in human breast tumors correlates with higher tumor grade and metasta...

Initiation of growth of resting ovarian follicles is a key phenomenon for providing an adequate number of mature oocytes in each ovulation, while preventing premature exhaustion of primordial follicle reserve during the reproductive lifespan. Resting follicle dynamics strongly suggest that primordial follicles are under constant inhibitory influences, by mechanisms and factors whose nature rema...

The G-protein coupled receptor GPR54 and its ligand, KiSS-1-derived peptide kisspeptin-54, appear to play an important role in the mechanism of puberty. This study measures the release of kisspeptin-54 in the stalk-median eminence (S-ME) during puberty and examines its potential role in the pubertal increase in LHRH-1 release in female rhesus monkeys. First, developmental changes in release of ...

We examined the role of kisspeptin and its receptor, the G-protein-coupled receptor GPR54, in governing the onset of puberty in the mouse. In the adult male and female mouse, kisspeptin (10-100 nM) evoked a remarkably potent, long-lasting depolarization of >90% of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-green fluorescent protein neurons in situ. In contrast, in juvenile [postnatal day 8 (P8) to P...

Kisspeptin, encoded by KISS1/Kiss1 gene, is now considered a master regulator of reproductive functions in mammals owing to its involvement in the direct activation of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons after binding to its cognate receptor, GPR54. Ever since the discovery of kisspeptin, intensive studies on hypothalamic expression of KISS1/Kiss1 and on physiological roles of hypotha...

Kisspeptin and its receptor GPR54 have recently been identified as key signaling partners in the neural control of fertility in animal models and humans. The gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons represent the final output neurons of the neural network controlling fertility and are suspected to be the primary locus of kisspeptin-GPR54 signaling. Using mouse models, the present study add...