Kisspeptin - a dual physiological role in the hypothalamic control of reproduction

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Kisspeptin is a 54 amino acid neuropeptide, recently identified as a potent stimulator of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis that is crucial for pubertal development and reproduction. Beyond the changes in expression during sexual maturation, kisspeptin appears to undergo differential expression in distinct hypothalamic nuclei. Gonadectomy increases Kiss1 expression in the arcuate nucleus (arc), and sex steroid replacement reduces expression back to that of intact animals [2], suggesting that arc kisspeptin modulates the negative feedback on GnRH secretion exerted by sex steroids. By contrast, in the anteroventral periventricular nucleus (AVPV) gonadectomy decreases Kiss1 expression and sex steroid replacement restores it. However, the precise physiological role of kisspeptin and these neuronal populations in pubertal development and adult reproduction is currently unknown. To elucidate its physiological role we aim to determine the effect of specifically suppressing kisspeptin expression in the arc and AVPV on pubertal development and reproduction and to characterise kisspeptin-expressing neurons in these nuclei in male and female adult rats. These studies will provide valuable information on potential therapeutic targets in reproductive disorders.