title: Physiological role of metastin/kisspeptin in regulating gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) secretion in female rats.
abstract: Various studies have attempted to unravel the physiological role of metastin/kisspeptin in the control of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) release. A number of evidences suggested that the population of metastin/kisspeptin neurons in the anteroventral periventricular nucleus (AVPV) is involved in generating a GnRH surge to induce ovulation in rodents, and thus the target of estrogen positive feedback. Females have an obvious metastin/kisspeptin neuronal population in the AVPV, but males have only a few cell bodies in the nucleus, suggesting that the absence of the surge-generating mechanism or positive feedback action in males is due to the limited AVPV metastin/kisspeptin neuronal population. On the other hand, the arcuate nucleus (ARC) metastin/kisspeptin neuronal population is considered to be involved in the regulation of tonic GnRH release. The ARC metastin/kisspeptin neurons show no sex difference in their expression, which is suppressed by gonadal steroids in both sexes. Thus, the ARC population of metastin/kisspeptin neurons is a target of estrogen negative feedback action on tonic GnRH release. The lactating rat model provided further evidence indicating that ARC metastin/kisspeptin neurons are involved in GnRH pulse generation, because pulsatile release of luteinizing hormone (LH) is profoundly suppressed by suckling stimulus and the LH pulse suppression is well associated with the suppression of ARC metastin/kisspeptin and KiSS-1 gene expression in lactating rats.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ohkura
authors.forename: Yoshihisa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Uenoyama
authors.forename: Shunji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Tamami
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Homma
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takase
authors.forename: Naoko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Kei-Ichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.forename: Hiroko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tsukamura
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001111:Arcuate Nucleus of Hypothalamus / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D004967:Estrogens / Q000378:metabolism; D030762:Estrous Cycle / Q000502:physiology; D025461:Feedback, Physiological; D005260:Female; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000378:metabolism*; D059648:Kisspeptins; D007774:Lactation / Q000502:physiology; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / Q000378:metabolism; D000074502:Receptors, Kisspeptin-1
chemical_list: D004967:Estrogens; C491406:Kiss1 protein, rat; C492247:Kiss1r protein, rat; D059648:Kisspeptins; D011506:Proteins; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D000074502:Receptors, Kisspeptin-1; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone