Kisspeptin and RFamide-related peptide-3 (RFRP-3) are known to affect GnRH/luteinizing hormone (LH) in several species, including the rat. It has been hypothesized that GnRH/LH changes during the rat estrous cycle may result from changes in the expression of KiSS1 and RFRP-3 genes. Therefore, the present study investigates KiSS1 and RFRP-3 gene expression at the transcriptional level in the rat...

The initiation of mammalian puberty is underpinned by an increase in Kisspeptin (Kiss1) signaling via its receptor (Kiss1r/GPR54) on gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons. Animals and humans with loss-of-function mutations in Kiss1 or Kiss1r fail to go through puberty. The timing of puberty is dependent on environmental factors, and malleability in puberty timing suggests a mechanism th...

After the discovery of hypothalamic kisspeptin encoded by the Kiss1 gene, the central mechanism regulating gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) secretion, and hence gonadotropin secretion, is gradually being unraveled. This has increased our understanding of the central mechanism regulating puberty and subsequent reproductive performance in mammals. Recently, emerging evidence has indicated th...

BACKGROUND The KISS1/KISS1R system has been implicated in the physiology of reproduction and many studies have documented the stimulatory effect of kisspeptin on Gonadotropin-releasing Hormone (GnRH) and gonadotropin secretion. In addition, the KISS1/KISS1R system has been implicated in several pathophysiological processes, including cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS We examined the pattern of KI...

In mammals, puberty onset typically occurs earlier in females than in males, but the explanation for sexual differentiation in the tempo of pubertal development is unknown. Puberty in both sexes is a brain-dependent phenomenon and involves alterations in the sensitivity of neuronal circuits to gonadal steroid feedback as well as gonadal hormone-independent changes in neuronal circuitry. Kisspep...

Onset of puberty is characterised by a marked increase in the frequency of release of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and luteinising hormone (LH). The Kiss1 gene plays a critical role in pubertal development, and its product, kisspeptin, stimulates GnRH and LH release. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that Kiss1 gene expression in the preoptic area (POA) and hypothalamus i...

Kisspeptin, which is encoded by the Kiss1 gene, and its receptor, the G protein-coupled receptor 54 (Kiss1r), play important roles in the regulation of reproductive functions in mammals. Several studies have shown that the Kiss1 and Kiss1r genes are expressed in the rat, primate, and human ovaries, and that the ovarian kisspeptin system plays a pivotal role in ovulation at the proestrous stage ...

KISS1 and its receptor, KISS1R, have both been found to be expressed in central nervous system, but few data are present in the literature about their distribution in peripheral nervous structures. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate, through immunohistochemistry, the expression and distribution of KISS1 and KISS1R in the rat and human carotid bodies and superior cervical gang...

Cancer cells tend to utilize aerobic glycolysis even under normoxic conditions, commonly called the "Warburg effect." Aerobic glycolysis often directly correlates with malignancy, but its purpose, if any, in metastasis remains unclear. When wild-type KISS1 metastasis suppressor is expressed, aerobic glycolysis decreases and oxidative phosphorylation predominates. However, when KISS1 is missing ...

Ghrelin is a metabolic signal regulating energy homeostasis. Circulating ghrelin levels rise during starvation and fall after a meal, and therefore, ghrelin may function as a signal of negative energy balance. Ghrelin may also act as a modulator of reproductive physiology, as acute ghrelin administration suppresses gonadotropin secretion and inhibits the neuroendocrine reproductive axis. Intere...